《The Draconians - Draconian Ally》
Chapter 1 - Oh, Great!
"I''ve never seen a creature so small before," a low growl emerged. Somebody didn''t actively speak those words but vibrated them as if the vocal box was projecting the sound. "What should we do with it?" the strange voice continued.
"Leave it be." a more motherly-sounding voice said. "he''ll wake when he has made the full transition."
"Is he the one?" the first voice questioned.
"He is a piece, how big is unknown, but a piece nonetheless. Only time will tell.." the motherly voice responded.
Oscar-Blane Jones, or Ob, began his day like every other. Wake up, work out, shower, make lunch, go to work, come home, eat dinner, sleep, and repeat. He didn''t hate this routine; he loved it. It was familiar, like an old friend who had always been there for him. So when he fell asleep in his bed, after completing his regular routine to wake up shivering cold and hearing strange noises, he was pretty confused.
Ugh. my head, he thought. Why am I so cold? Why can''t I open my eyes? Why can''t I feel my body? Oh Great! Is this¡ what did my brother call it? Sleep paralysis, I think... Is this that?
Ob finally could force his eyes open to see flashing exclamation marks all over the place. Notifications. There were so many. "What the¡ notifications. How do I? What is happening? How do I acknowledge these things?" He said as he was swiping his hand at nothing in the air. Then, he began realizing that maybe he had just to say it out loud. Ob¡¯s voice was deep, but not too deep. Ob¡¯s had the tone and cadence of a podcaster. It was smooth and it was attractive to the ears. Ob spoke with passion and emotions. It was clear how he was feeling by how he spoke.
"Ehhh, open? Read?" he said out loud nervously.
"You have died." a text box appeared at the bottom of his vision.
"I-I have died?" he said somewhat skeptically. "Died whatchu mean¡ Did I die? How am I talking or living or feeling if I am dead?"
Objective: a new loud voice rang in his head. Find your body and reconnect the link. You''ve been given the objective to travel to find your resting physical body. This process will resurrect you.
"Huh? What kind of foolishness, man? Quit playing with me. Where''d that voice come from, body? What the hell is happening?" Ob responded as panic was setting in.
Help? the voice said again.
"Yes!" Ob replied, panic washing away with excitement.
Objective: find your body and reconnect the link. You''ve been given the objective to travel to find your resting physical body. This process will resurrect you.
"Awesome, you just repeated the same damn thing," Ob yelled in frustration. Ob began to think about his options. He decided to do what he always does. Act. Ob pushes himself to his feet to find he can see through his hands. Mmm, Ob thought, if I am looking for my body... Is this my soul? Souls are real? What a trip, man. These DAMN exclamation points are pissing me off. WHAT?!
Status: the voice read Oscar - Blane Jones.
"Ew.. just Ob," Ob interrupted.
Status: Nickname chosen. Status: Ob Jones.
Race: human subset, earthling.
Normal Tier: Level 0
Power: Natural - Unknown, Nurtured- Unknown, Federation- Unknown.
Skills: None
Ability: Dimension Skipper
You wake up in a new dimension. Death? Fate? Whatever it is, you are here for a reason. This is your chance to figure it out.
Dimension Skipper comes with the ????, ????, and ????
Ability: Earthling
You have the ability to adapt. Your adaptation comes with a heads-up display and user interface.
Adaptation comes with a voice-over Narrator. Would you like to name it Voice over Narrator?"
"Um, sure? I could use a buddy right now. Are you sentient?" Ob responded.
Would you like to name Voice Over Narrator?
"Right, you have a knack for repeating things. Bet. How about V.O.N. Von?"
Status: Nickname chosen for voice-over narrator. Voice Over Narrator, will now be known as VON, VON said.
"Cool¡ are you sentient VON?" Ob asked.
Help: I am VON. I am your guide based on your earthling ability. In a dimension that is not your original home, I am here to help you feel at home and to understand the brand-new mystical world around you. VON said.
"Oh-kay then, VON, not really an answer to my question, but we''ll keep it pushing," Ob responded with annoyance. "Fasho, that was a lot of information that made absolutely no sense to me... Where to then? Gotta find my body... I must be trippin."
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Ob spent the next few moments learning how to move. In awkward stumbles, he found his footing. It was an odd sensation, moving without muscles. He is still determining how he managed that. After what seemed like an hour, maybe more, he finally got some zombie walking down, if you can even call it that.
Man. This is tough, Ob thought, so I got this jerky movement down. I feel like a newborn giraffe. I guess I head ehh this way? He said rather unconvincingly. As he was stumbling over that way, he felt a strong pull going in the other direction. Oh, okay, okay, I got it, damn! Going the other way¡
As Ob wandered in that direction, he couldn''t help but notice he noticed nothing. There were no landmarks; there was nothing but a shiny haze. What could have been miles, Ob finally saw something different from this haze: a figure on the ground and a flickering light above the figure. The light was dim, and it was red. Ob cautiously approached the flickering light; to his surprise, it was a little heart. The heart was a standard love heart, not the anatomically correct one. Most of the heart was black, with a tiny red near the bottom.
"I feel like I am in a video game. The heart, the walking, VON, all of it," Ob said to himself, "What is happening? I know for a fact that this is not my body." The body under the heart was pale. It had long, stringy black hair barely attached to the wrinkled body. A long neck led to a short, chubby torso. Following that was the next strangest thing that Ob had seen so far¡ the legs were goat legs. Black fur goat legs. Ob, a fan of Greek mythology, started to wonder, "Is this a ---" The eyes shot open, the mouth released this hideous screech, and they lunged at Ob.
Objective: Survive:
You have been attacked by a wraith. Survive the attack until the wraiths return to their near-death state.
"Hell nah, bruh. What.." Ob Yelled as he bolted in the other direction, "A wraith¡ the hell is a wraith."
The wraith did not respond in kind to Ob. It continued to pursue its victim. Ob was sprinting as fast as he could to outrun this monster. Ob started to realize he wouldn''t be able to outrun this wraith. The wraith was gaining, and he was also shocked that he was running and running FAST.
Before Ob woke up here, he was an athletic man. Standing 6 foot 4, he was above average in height, weighing a solid 210 pounds with little body fat. A former track athlete, Ob competed at the top collegiate level and had a small stint as a professional before he decided to hang up his spikes. Ob was no stranger to running fast; however, this was much faster than he had ever run.
He couldn''t outrun this monster, and in no way did he want to find out if that thing touched him. As Ob was running, he felt that strong pull again, pulling him back toward the direction of the wraith. His strides slowed; he felt like he was running with a weighted parachute in a windstorm. He had to fight the wraith.
Ob stopped and thought. He decided to see if there was a way to harm the wraith. Not much of a fighter, he knew how to fight. He used to cross-train in boxing and grapple in his off-season, but this did not give him the most confidence to win this fight or even survive. The shriek grew louder as he got into a stance, getting prepared for the battle. He swung. Ob put all the frustration, the anger, the annoyance, the confusion into that punch, everything he had. The punch connected. It impacted the jaw of the wraith with a loud CRACK. The wraith''s jaw exploded in a mixture of bone and black liquid. The wraith''s head snapped sideways, and the vile monster fell limp, the heart above its head empty.
Ob stared at his fist. No pain from the punch. He has hit stuff bare-knuckle and knows it is supposed to hurt. With that force, there should be something on his hands. Nothing. Was it the lack of nerves, muscles, or skin? Was he more vital than before? What was that power that caused such a devastating hit... He staggered, feeling wobbly, and he sat on the ground to catch his breath.
Objective: Survive - completed
Wraith defeated.
You have survived the wraith attack. A reward has been sent to your body.
Slayer Nurture power +1
Bonus growth for slaying the beast instead of waiting for its demise. Reward was sent to body.
Ob looked in shock at what he had just accomplished. How come that was so easy? Where did that strength come from? How was it even possible to have tangible contact with that thing? His mind was whirling with all the questions and none of the answers. Wiping his arm and getting to his feet, Ob grew frustrated at the lack of answers. Then he remembered VON.
"Hey Von," he said out loud, "can you tell me something?"
Help?
"Yeah¡ What is a wraith? Where am I? What am I? What do you mean by reward sent to body? How did I kill that?"
Monster Log: Wraith
Deadly vengeful spirit. Wraiths deploy deafening shrieks to stun and disable enemies. While the enemy is stunned, the wraith will attack their life force. Needing to feed on the life force of others so they can return to the place where they were killed. They attack with sharp fangs, weapons, and claws. Immune to physical attacks. Wraiths can only be destroyed by a spiritual attack. Magic can harm a wraith but not kill one.
You have died. Your body is making a transition. Your soul must reconnect to the link to your body in order to be resurrected.
You are a soul in search of your body.
"So the question marks mean you don''t know, or I can''t learn. Okay," Ob said, and he began to walk towards the strong pulling again, "I have an objective. I have to find my body." He didn''t know what was pulling him, but he felt it was the right thing, calling it instinct. No markers to show his journey, nothing to indicate the distance traveled or how far he has to go.
As he journeyed, he talked to VON, asking many questions. Before Ob died, he was a naturally curious person. He loved learning. It did not matter what subject he was so curious about the world around him. The enjoyment of asking VON these questions helped Ob feel calmer and familiar. He wondered absently about his life before, though. Had he really died? What would his family think? Ob was a nice guy with a solid community. He was a number in a rather large family. The black sheep. He grew up with four brothers and four sisters. He was the fifth child. Directly in the middle, he was the third boy out of five, fifth out of nine total kids. His older siblings were all married with kids or kids on the way. Most of the family interacted without him. It was the way he liked it, though. But a deep part of him lay dormant, a part that wants to be a part of something bigger.
Shaking his head at those thoughts, he recalled what he had learned from VON. He messed around with his Heads Up Display (HUD). It showed a minimap in the top right corner of his vision. To the left corner, he saw a yellowish-brown bar and a blue bar running side by side. He learned stamina is the yellowish-brown bar and manna is the blue bar. The bottom left was where his messages and notifications stayed.
He learned how to check his stats purposefully, not accidentally. He noticed something interesting every time he talked to VON.
Status: VON
VON has leveled up. VON is now level 2. VON''s answer pool has increased. VON''s ability to engage in conversation has increased. VON is now closer to a tour guide than a specified help feature. Progress to level three. 1500 exp is needed to level up. VON must rest in order to be used again. The current wait is 10 minutes.
Ob wondered how many levels VON had. Did VON become sentient after a certain amount of levels? After he rechecked his stats, he learned he was Normal Level and had zero powers unlocked; VON could not tell him what that meant. The slayer bonus was still looming; he wasn''t sure what that was. After looking at the notification, it told him he could apply it to a power, but since no powers were unlocked, he could not use it.
A loud screech halted his progress. There was not a loud screech, but there were MANY loud screeches. He looked up and found what he was looking for. His body, there it was, lying on the ground still, with that same flickering heart. What he also saw made his heart fall.. Ten wraiths swarmed his body, seemingly like they were waiting for him, for Ob to reclaim his body so they could attack him.
Yeah.. that ain''t happening. I got lucky with my one-punch man routine the last time. I will not be as fortunate, Ob thought. As Ob started thinking of his next plan of action, a bright blaze of orange and black flames erupted out of nowhere, eliminating all the wraiths.
"Come closer, human," a melodic voice vibrated, "It is time for your journey to begin. Collect your body, then you and I will have a chat. Away from these awful creatures," Ob couldn''t see anything making that noise. He suddenly felt a strange feeling that whatever was speaking to him was dangerous and strong. "There are more wraiths on their way. I sense your hesitation. All will be answered in time. For now, touch your body and wake up." A bunch of screeches emerged from behind him as if it was planned in a movie.
Ob moved towards the voice and his body, fully expecting to wake up from this crazy dream. As commanded, he touched the body, and everything went black.
Chapter 2 - Beauty and Wonder
Abigail was not having a good day.
She had studied and studied and still failed the Elven enchantress exam. "Too weak, no power, no strength," the examiners had written on her exam results. She had left the city where the exam had taken place to meet back at her rendezvous spot with her party. However, she was extremely frustrated and decided to walk alone before getting to the location.
Abigail Montall is an Elven healer. She is a hard worker, determined, and brilliant. She comes from a small Elf tribe in the West. She was the first from her tribe to be an Enchantress. Enchantress power is unlocked in the Natural Power slot. It is a legendary rarity to have the nature of an enchantress. Being an Enchantress means she can spell cast with ease but not spells that are damage dealing. Those would take longer to learn, if ever. As a result of the difficulty, her spells were healing-focused. This is why she has failed constantly; she only had skills to help her defend and protect. Abigail felt immense pressure to be this great elf. The one who would bring them wealth and great fortune. The one where everyone''s success depended on her.
Abigail hated this pressure. She didn''t want to lead a stationary life. She wanted to explore. She wanted to view all the beauty and wonders of the world. She found a bench and took a seat, going further into her deep thoughts. She smiled as she recalled all the great adventures she had had already in her young career. She missed her young self before all the pressure; she was young, dumb, and so free. She missed that. Always dreaming of that sweet, sweet, pressureless freedom.
"Hey, why the long face?" a smooth voice interrupted her thoughts and said. The voice was smooth with a constant hint of care. He spoke with genuine care toward everyone he communicated with. He spoke with a lot of slang.
"Oh," Abigail replied to the scrawny man in front of her. "Hey, Vin.. how long have you been there?" Abigail¡¯s voice sounded like she attended a top university in Oxford, England. She spoke with grace and elegance. It was formal and proper.
The man named Vin frowned, "Just walked up to ya, Abs. What''s wrong? You''re usually more alert."
"I failed again.." she said with exasperated sadness, "I am too weak," she growled. "I need to get stronger. I need stronger attacks or ANY attack spells. I just do not have the skills for it. That makes it so hard. My total set is so - "
"Defender"
"Yes, Exactly. They are so defensive. I need some attacking power. Otherwise, you and I will never make it as a big crusader party. We need more power."
"Our team is brand new Abs. We got plenty of time to find that power. It would be ideal if we find someone from the Maverick Federation.
"Not this again... Vincent, the Mavericks are all jerks. They are so full of it. I won''t stand to have one in our party!"
"Oh, come on, Abigail. Just ''cause the one we met that jerk-off werewolf doesn''t mean we cannot trust ANY mavericks. Just gotta do some extra vettin'', that''s all." Vincent pleaded.
Vincent was a close friend of Abigail, the human to her elf. They grew up as neighbors in the West. The two have been friends since they were near babes. Vincent''s family are all hunters; he comes from a prominent tribe of hunters. The best in their small provincial area. Vincent''s parents would deliver fresh games to Abigail''s family in exchange for elixirs and health potions. Vincent was a medium-built man; his skin was marked with intricate tribal tattoos covering his face and feet. He had tanner skin, as if he was from the Earthly Middle East; his hair was curly and dark black. He had hazel brown eyes and a short-cropped beard. Vincent wore a dark forest green camo tunic top and bottom with a hunter''s bow hung around his chest and a few throwing knives along his belt. His voice was smooth and mellow; he was taught to talk like this so he could talk while on the hunt. His steps were light and nearly imperceptible.
Vincent knew Abigail was destined to be great. He wanted to help his closest friend reach that. She just had a habit of getting in her own way. He gently touched his friend, touched her shoulder, and whispered, "Our party is going to be great. Not because you are leading it but because WE are leading it. Not all pressure is on you."
Abigail felt electricity course through her once he touched her. Did Vincent, her oldest friend, feel that too? Does he share similar feelings as her? Soaking in his words and warm presence, she took a slow, deep breath. Then, slow-released it, along with her tensions. "You are right, Vin. I cannot judge them for one ignorant prick." She took another long breath, breathing in his delightful scent; it was familiar and calming. "I am just not having a good day. Failing yet another examination did not help my mood either. I just feel unsure. I do not know; maybe I am just in my own head, or maybe I am getting ill."
"Or¡ or¡ or.. Or.. n-not," Vincent stammered, pointing up to the sky as a large dark shadow covered the park.
Ob woke up lying flat. He was, yet again, cold on his back. Not translucent this time. He could see his dark milk chocolate skin yet again. He never grew a lot of body hair before, which is why he was surprised to feel a little stubble on his face. Ob spent the next few moments examining his body and noting the differences.
"I am bigger? Like more jacked... Dang, I''m not mad at this. I don''t know how I feel about the stubble; I always enjoyed the clean shave. My hair is longer." Ob wore tight braids, tightened into two lines across his head, ending with two small braided ponytails hanging just by his neck. Ob noticed he was wearing the same gym shorts he used to go to sleep in. "Okay, so not dreaming then."
Objective: Find your body and reconnect the link. Completed You have found your body.
Reward - Dragon Tunic
Reward - Dragon Pant Legs
Reward - Dragon Boots
Reward - 1500 Gold pieces
Reward - 10 XS Explixirs
- 5 S Explixirs
- 1 M Explixirs
Reward - Ice Blue Stone
Reward - Spellcasting Guide
Bonus Rewards for Slaying the Wraith
Reward - 15 S Exp-lixirs
Reward - Dragon Charm
Reward - Spectral Cloak
All items have been put in inventory. To access inventory, view the chest icon on HUD.
You have received new clothing. Would you like to put on new clothing? Yes/No?
"Yeah," Ob said, "Get me some clothes." Swirls started to appear around Ob. Ob felt a rush of power as he was wearing his new clothes. The outfit was black mixed with red and orange as if he was staring into a solar eclipse. The cloak flowing behind him had an actual solar eclipse in the design, slowly showing the moon covering a bright sun.
Item: Spectral Cloak
Bondable Item
Legendary
The cloak matches the spectral aura of the wielder. This is a bondable item. Once bonded, the item will unlock a skill within the Natural Powerset. Insufficient power to bond. Cloak cannot be bonded. Cloak provides different abilities based on bond. Without the bond, the cloak is a good-looking piece of clothing.
The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Item: Dragon Charm
Bondable Item
Divine
The charm grants the power to create a soul-link with a dragon. The dragon must be of equal or lower level or age, whichever is lower. The dragon has the right to refuse the link; if this happens, the charm will become inactive for 7 days. After that, the charm may be attempted again on a different dragon. Soul-link, you gain a buddy for life. You and the being you are soul-linked to will travel together and explore the world. An extremely unique bond is that those who are soul-linked have an intrinsic understanding of each other''s feelings, thoughts, auras, and souls. The two grow stronger as they work together, becoming an unbreakable unit.
WARNING: choose wisely. A soul-link is a challenging thing to come by, and if you choose a soul-link with an inherently evil being, you, too, will become corrupt. You will feel no effect if you select a soul-ink with an inherently neutral being. If you choose a soul-link with an innately good being, you, too, will become good.
"I see you are learning about your spoils." A melodic motherly noise entered the space he was in, startling Ob.
"Oh, ah yes, sorry! I got distracted. There was a lot of information on that item¡ I also cannot see you. I also don''t think I heard you, but I did¡ How is that possible?" said out loud.
"I am Flaxornora. The Queen of the Astrological Dragons of the North. Yes, child. I do not speak as you humans do. I use my vocal box to create words as you perceive them, and my dragon nature projects it into your mind," Flaxornora responded. "We all speak this way."
"That did not make any sense to me, but okay, Queen Flaxornora.." He said syllable by syllable, "I''m Ob, er Ob Jones. Do you mind answering 1 or 15 questions I have? I know I''m tripping because you just told me you were a dragon, and that is not the thing I am focusing on¡" Ob said, rubbing his temples and shaking his head. An odd noise erupted from the shadows; Ob could only assume it was laughter.
A gigantic dragon walked out. It had icy blue scales that glimmered like stars in the night sky. Ob also saw green and blue lights flash across her scales. Her head was about the size of Ob. She had wings that would span 10 feet in both directions. Her body was as long as a bus. Ob stood in awe as this beautiful yet terrifying creature walked in front of him. The dragon stared at him. Once again, Ob felt that feeling of danger, and his instincts were telling him to RUN. He swallowed that feeling and put on a false facade.
"Oh, very good. You do a good job at forcing your resolve." Flaxornora complimented, "Please call me Flaxy. Yes, I am able to answer some of your questions in due time. You are in Woarndoleth, one of the few dimensions connected to your home dimension. I am not sure how you got here, but your body arrived a few days ago, cold and pale. Ancient stories tell of this happening all throughout our world. Bodies appear dead but are idle, waiting for the soul to be reconnected. The answer as to why was never passed down. Each reason is different; each being who comes comes comes with a different purpose.
It is up to you to find out why you are here, Ob. I cannot keep you here forever. You must travel South. The beginning of your journey starts there." She paused, giving Ob an assessing look. "Your nature is friendly towards the dragons. This is why we did not destroy your body. This is extremely rare, especially for those traveling to this dimension. Now tell me, "What long item were you learning about?"
"Woarndoleth, Wo arn dole th¡ another dimension okay. Great. Yeah, this is insane. What?! What about my old life? Am I just dead? Is this an avatar? Am I living both lives? What is happening??" Ob started to ramble, overthinking and panic setting in yet again. "Breathe, big guy¡ Breathe¡ Let''s see what I can control," Ob started to say, completely ignoring Flaxy.
"Ob¡ our time is limited, please," Flax interrupted
"Oh right, sorry. Um, it''s called a dragon charm. It had long descriptions. Why is our time limited?"
"We must get you to your destination before the sunsets. We disappear after the sun sets. As astrological dragons, we only appear in this dimension during astrological events; once they end, we return to our home realm."
"Oh, okay, so I met the super dragon clan. Dope. Y''all are friendly enough, though. Which is against everything my world says about dragons, but that''s neither here nor there."
"You are not afraid of dragons despite the stories?"
"No, dragons were always awesome to me. Sure, they could kill us, but so can many things that people still love, like Lions, Tigers, and Bears." Ob paused and thought Oh my to himself and chuckled a muffled laugh. Flaxy looked at him with suspicious eyes. "Dragons," he continued, "were no different but much cooler to me."
"I see. I see indeed," Flaxy mused. "Call it destiny or fate; you were brought to us for a reason. The dragon charm allows you to create a soul-link with a lesser or equal-rank dragon. May I suggest you use it on my youngest? Her name is Eclipse, and she is a Solar dragon. She is hot-tempered but extremely loyal. Come on out, Eclipse."
"Oh, uhh, sure? Would love to meet her.."
Not sure what to expect, a small black dragon with scales matching his cloak perfectly walked out. Eclipse''s scales would shimmer red and orange with every step, while most of her scales were black. She was no bigger than a tiger and much more slender than her mother, the queen. Her eyes were golden orange, and she stared at Ob with studied intensity.
"You do not fear human? You are excited to meet a dragon. Have you ever met one before?" Eclipse asked in a bitter-sounding voice. Sharp yet caring, the voice of a stern professor who cared for her students'' well-being.
"Err, no, Y''all are the first I''ve ever met. And no, I''m not afraid. This is amazing." Ob responded.
"Do you hail from a magic desolate realm?" Eclipse asked, "Pardon me, I am Princess Eclipse. 5th offspring of the Queen of The Northern Astrological Clan." Eclipse said with pride.
"Nice to meet you, princess. I''m Ob, 5th child in my world. And yes, my world does not have magic." Ob responded, "Why do you want to be linked? Is that something you want to do, be trapped with another creature for the rest of your days?"
"Not my days, yours." she corrected, "Dragons live much longer than humans. I want to see the world, Ob. It is full of beauty and wonders; I cannot do that in my other dimension. I mustn''t let this opportunity pass me by. I must take hold. You, Ob, do not fear me or my kin. This fills me with a renewed hope, a hope that I will gladly accept your soul-link." Eclipse said in response.
"Be warned, Ob." Flax noted, "There are many charms in the world; the dragon charm is the most potent. Your very nature will be altered, as will my child''s. I do not offer this lightly; this is done with a level of trust you cannot comprehend. We are not pets. There is a level of power that we give up to be a soul-linked being. This bond will not turn you into an owner. It will not turn Eclipse into a slave or a pet. It will turn you two into a formidable team."
"I hear you. I don''t want pets or slaves. Perhaps it would be foolish to do this without knowing anything about you or this world, but I ain''t got time for sitting and waiting. Back home, we have a saying, ''Get it before it is gone forever.'' An opportunity like this is rare, plus DRAGONS! I''m in." Ob responded. "I''m cool with this. If you are Eclipse, it''ll be nice to have a friend."
Would you like to use Dragon Charm on Princess Eclipse of the North Astrological Clan?
Yes. Ob gave the mental command.
The link is being established. Princess Eclipse has accepted the charm.
Soul-Link: Princess Eclipse of North Astrological Clan
You have created a soul-link with the dragon Princess Eclipse.
You have gained the Natural Power: Draconian Ally.
Draconian Ally, you are an ally to dragons. Being a dragon ally can be read on your soul and aura with full force. Your soul-link has given you the power of Dragon Speak added to HUD/UI.
You have learned the skill Dragon''s Breath.
Dragon''s Breath skill, spell - breathe a dragon''s fire on all in your path. High-level manna cost. Zero cool down.
You have learned the skill - Dragon''s Hide.
Dragon''s Hide skill, body enhancement - gain the strength of dragons and resist high heat and cold temperatures. Immune to fire. Increased resistance to slashing attacks.
You have gained the Nurtured Power: Slayer.
Ob''s reading was interrupted by a voice entering his head. "Hello, soul-link, mate. Let us depart to where we must go before we are sucked into another dimension. It''s a long journey. Hop on."
Ob''s instinct of danger and fear washed away after reading the letter and looking at Flax. "Thank you for helping me with the wraiths and getting me started. We will see you at the next astrological event," Ob said as he got onto his new friend''s back.
Eclipse took flight, spreading her midnight black wings; she nodded to her mother, then took flight.
Eclipse had many questions for Ob. The first thing she said was, "I''m not your servant or your pet; let''s get that straight."
"No arguments here. As far as I am concerned, you are a friend and a partner. We make decisions together. Sound good?" Ob mentally responded back over the rushing wind. Ob didn''t understand everything, but he knew his new friend was shocked by his response, and she was silently grateful to have a soul-link to him.
"Tell me, Ob, are dragons loved in your world?"
"No, goodness no. Most people hate dragons. They are afraid of them, or they make them the bad guys in our fairytales. So many princesses are captured by a dragon, and a knight has to go save them in these stories. But I never feared them. I saw these great magical beasts full of power who are insanely misunderstood. They were always my favorite." Ob responded. "Why me? Why decide to be with me. I''m not buying the whole seeing the world lie you told me in front of your mom."
"You seem different. I am not sure what makes you different. The way you looked at me when I first walked out. It was full of awe and wonder. I felt as if I knew what it was like to be ostracized for who you are. It felt as if you knew that judging before getting to know me was not a good idea. Call it madness or bravery, I do not know, but I am eager to find out."
Ob chuckled, "I don''t see the difference between the two. Sometimes, you have to be a little mad before you can walk out with bravery." His demeanor got sad, "yes, I know what it is like to be treated poorly for who I am. In my own family, too. I never want to cause harm like that."
"I see. This world, Ob, is not as easygoing as I fear you might believe. It is full of beauty and wonder. This much is true. It is also full of terror and death. Be warned, my.." she paused, searching for the right word, "friend, I sense that you will have to fight, and they fight till death here. The world is a savage place, but it is malleable. You have the mark of a person who sides with us, dragons. This will make many enemies. I have your back ''cause I know you have mine." Eclipse said as she descended onto a park. They had reached their destination.
Chapter 3 - Learning and Passing Out
Abigail stared at the dragon descending from the sky. It was black with shimmering red and orange every time it moved its wings. Abigail did not like dragons, but something about this one was beautiful. She couldn''t help but stare. She finally broke her gaze to look at Vincent. He was readying his bow, getting prepared for a fight. Her thoughts of the beautiful dragon were interrupted because she noticed the dragon had a rider; the rider''s look told her to relax.
"Vin¡ lower your weapon. It is a baby dragon. It is soul-linked, most likely to that rider that I see." Abigail whispered.
"Well well well what do we ave ere." a burly voice growled behind the two. "Oi dragon¡ yer kind ain''t welcomed ere ye best be getting on ye way." A strong aura started to rush out of the man. This man was a large, broad man; he wore combat pants with two belts worn across his torso, making an X across his muscular chest. He was brandishing a massive battleaxe.
"Are you the boss of this park?" Ob responded coldly. "Are parks not open to the public? We have had a long journey and are needing rest. We''ll be gone tomorrow."
"No, laddy, ye won''t. Ye''ll be goien naow. I don''t want to tell ye again." Anger was rising in the man; his patience was growing thin, and he was entering a battle stance.
Ob''s eyes flashed anger, but a word from Eclipse forced him to turn around and mount his dragon. They took off without another word.
After 10 minutes of flying, they found a cave beside a lake. It looked old and abandoned but covered and dry, at least to Ob. The two rested for the night, making a campfire and relaxing. The two did not speak much, as Ob was still very frustrated. Ob was not happy. He does not like bullies. He does not like being told his friend or his friend''s kind is not welcome. But what Eclipse told him was correct. He doesn''t know anything about this world. The rules, how to fight, how to use powers, how to identify anything, let alone another hostile person. It was best that they retreated and rested.
Ob needed to learn.
"Mark My words¡ he''ll pay. No one is that strong to be that rude. He''ll pay¡" Ob whispered in anger. He was just loud enough for his soul-link partner to hear. Eclipse looked up and grinned. Who was this man? she thought, why was he so fired up to defend her? They only just met? He treats me like family, better than my own kind. Whatever his reasoning is, I appreciate him and it. She nodded off asleep.
Ob spent some time looking over his notifications, "15. Damn. 15. Alright, here we go. VON?"
He tried to adjust them from most important to least but gave up because he didn''t know.
You have gained the nurtured power: Slayer.
You have displayed an ability to kill creatures well above your level. You have stood in the face of dangers higher than you and held firm. You have proven to have a resolve to never be shaken. Slayers are strong and fearless. Slayers have inherited boosts to strength, Manna, and vitality when fighting monsters at higher levels than you.
Bonus reward: Slayer +1 from defeating the wraith has been applied.
Slayer +10% - bonus on all attributes are given an additional 10% (passive, unlimited).
Item: Spectral Cloak
Bondable Item
Legendary
The Cloak matches the spectral aura of the wielder. This is a bondable item. Once bonded, the item will unlock a skill within the Nurtured Powerset. You have the qualifications to bond. Bond? Yes/No?
Yes,
Bond is being established. Spectral Cloak bonded with nurtured power: Slayer. This has produced the skill: Stalker.
Nurtured Power: Slayer
Skill 1: Stalker
The Spectral Cloak has bonded to you and has given you the skill to hide in the shadows. When activated, the Cloak will dim the orange and red glow to hide you in the shadows. It will cover your aura and soul to anything below your level.
Item: Ice Stone
Keystone Item
Rare
Use this item to unlock a skill that is related to ice. Would you like to use it? Yes/No?
Can I give it to Eclipse?
Use the item on soul-link Princess Eclipse of the Astrological North Clan? Yes/No?
Yes.
Item: Ice Stone
Keystone Item
Rare
Has been used on the soul-link Princess Eclipse of the Astrological North Clan. She has been given the power to breathe ice. Ice breath, harness the power of a blizzard with your breath. The stronger the user''s level, the more violent the breath.
Ob didn''t know how Eclipse would react or if she could already breathe ice. He had a suspicion that the stone would have no effect if that were true. Despite barely meeting her, Ob felt a deeper soul connection than he thought he would. This was something he cherished, and he never wanted her to feel disappointed in him. Ob knew that if they would be doing this forever, he needed to take care of him and trust she would do the same. That is why he decided to give her the item.
Item: Spellcaster''s Guide
Consumable Item
Uncommon
A guide to learn about spell casting. Consume to have the knowledge enter your mind. Consume? Yes/No?
Eh, no, maybe I should wait for this item. Casting spells seems essential, but I still need to figure out what that means. It''s common, anyway. Ob responded.
Gift Item: Soul Home Builder
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Craftable Item
????
You have been given a gift. Soul Home Builder is a craftable item that allows you to construct a living space within your soul to let your soul-links live. The home can be customized as much as possible, and this item will be consumed after use. Would you like to construct a soul home for soul-link Princess Eclipse of the Astrological North Clan? Yes/No?
Yes.
Soul Home is being constructed; it will be finished in 1 day.
Objective: Join a federation
You have successfully made it into this dimension; it is time to pick your allegiance. Which federation will you choose? Explorer Federation, Guardian Federation, or the Maverick Federation.
Explorers Federation: This is for those seeking to find new things. Beauty and Wonder. Venture into uncharted territory, create maps, find caverns, and explore forests. Whatever you want, do it as long as you seek and explore.
Guardian Federation: Have a knack for protecting those who can''t defend themselves? Are you a healer, Enchantress, or a tank? Defenders Fed is the place for you. You are the first and last line of defense against the enemies. Protect at all costs.
Maverick Federation: The hardest federation to get into. Any new brave soul wanting to be the sword to the guardian''s shield. You live the life of both explorers and defenders. Seek new dangers and protect those from harm. Deal heavy damage.
Status: Princess Eclipse of the Astrological North Clan
Dragon
Bronze Level: 5
Skill: Dragon''s Breath
Skill: Empty
Skill: Empty
Ability: Solar Eclipse
Harness the power of a solar eclipse. Those that are looking at you during this time will be temporarily blinded. Act as a torch in a dark place.
Ability: Training Partner
You have accepted a soul-link; you and your connection can now spar and train without damaging one another. Bestow knowledge through a soul connection, feel what they feel, understand what they are thinking, and communicate.
Status: Ob Jones.
Race: human subset, earthling.
Level 1: Normal.
Natural Power - Draconian Ally - Level 1
Skill: Dragon''s Breath - Level 1
Skill: Dragon''s Hide - Level 1
Nurtured Power - Slayer - Level 1
Skill: Stalker - Level 1
Skill: Empty
Federation Power - Undecided
Skill: Empty
Skill: Empty
Ability: Dimension Skipper has evolved to Way of the Dragon
You have woken up in a different dimension; your new first dimension was one that was ruled by dragons. You have created a soul-link with a particularly powerful dragon race, thus evolving your ability. The Way of the Dragon allows the ability to live in multiple dimensions. Flight and teleportation are now available to learn. Magical senses and manna pools have increased significantly. ????, ????, and ????
Ability: Earthling has evolved to Aura Manipulation
You have created a soul-link with a particularly powerful dragon race, thus evolving your ability. Aura Manipulation increases UI, allowing the user to see how difficult it would be to manipulate an aura. Users can now learn how to control aura. Users can now see other''s souls. Users can now learn how to control souls.
Aura Manipulation Level 1. Current level allows internal aura manipulation.
Soul Manipulation Level 1. Current level allows internal soul manipulation.
Warning: soul and aura manipulation are extremely hard to level up. A dangerous craft, proceed with caution. Lest things turn poorly. Progress to Celestine 0%.
Status: Hidden Ability Unlocked
Ability: Absolute Resolve
You have swallowed your fear to hold steady in the face of grave dangers. You are now immune to fear aura attacks of those from a maximum of one level higher. Fear Aura attacks from at least two levels higher do reduced damage. You have gained bonuses to your soul and aura defenses. Fear Spells from your level or lower result in boone to strength.
Progress to Celestine? What is a Celestine? What does that even mean? Ob thought, am I becoming less human? How is that even possible? What is going to happen to me when I get to that point? How am I even progressing to Celestine? My guy, there is so much new stuff. I have so much training to do. So much about this world that makes zero sense. Maybe Eclipse can help me, and we can train together, maybe she can answer some of my questions. Before we go to any federation, it will be important to learn more.
Status: VON Level up
VON is now level 3.
VON has upgraded. VON can now automatically read anyone''s stats through the UI. Simply command VON to give a breakdown of the levels, powers, and individual stats of the one you want. VON can now speak notification.
Finally, Ob had finished all the notifications. He was learning, beginning to understand this world, and if he was honest with himself¡ he loved it. He was gaining power; he seemed to be very strong. That thrilled him to the core. Finally, Finally, he could do something about all those who mistreat him. Who mistreats his friends. He desperately wanted to know why and how he was brought here; that could wait. He had more learning to do. Ob. Passed out.
As Abigail whispered to Vincent, he heard giant, gruff footsteps walking this way. Vincent could recognize those steps from anywhere. Moris, he thought to himself. I hate this dude. Moris was a brute, a big guy full of power and not a bit of compassion in his large body. Moris was not a human, he actually was a werewolf, an Alpha Werewolf, to be exact. They are known to be hotheads in their human form; the second they turn into their Alpha form, they are savages. They attack anything that they decide is their enemy. It was well known that Moris hated dragons.
Vincent was surprised to hear that the man had defended the dragon; he was impressed. He had never heard of a soul-link, so he would have to ask his genius companion when the tension had died. There was something about that man, though. To be a Normal tier and not be afraid of a Gold tier was crazy, no.. unheard of. Vincent was confident; this was the one to be on their team, and they needed to follow him.
"Oi, hunter laddy. Vincent ain''t it." Moris said to him "ye ever seen a dragon like that before?"
"Umm, no.." Vincent replied, shocked that Moris knew his name.
"Hmm," Moris said, scratching his full and messy beard, "I best not be seein'' that laddy again. How dare a normal tier talk to me like that? He must be crazy. But I tell ye, that dragon is trouble. All dragons are trouble¡ where they come from, I don''t know, but I aim to find out. We got to kill the whole lot of ''em."
"You mean to kill all dragons?" Abigail said accidentally, her shock letting the words out without her noticing.
"Ye some kind uh dragon lova, missy?" Morris said, raising an eyebrow
"No!" Abigail said quickly, "I am just impressed; dragons are tough buggers to kill."
Moris bellowed a deep, shaking laugh. "I guess yer right there, missy! But so am I!" He continued laughing, doubled over. "Thank ye missy, that is exactly what I needed. Take care, ye two. Be sure to report if ye see any other dragons, ye ear?"
The two simply nodded and watched him stomp off. They waited till he was well out of earshot.
"I think we should follow those two," Vincent said first.
"Wait, you too?" Abigail asked. "I thought I was going to have to convince you. Waiiit" Eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to?"
Vincent chuckled, "We are a great pair, eh? The man. He stood up to that Pseudo without blinking an eye. That is ballsy. I''m impressed. I think he would be a great addition to our party. Why do you? Let me guess¡"
"The dragon," they said at the same time. Abigail blushed. She thought he must be feeling the same. He must.
"Abs?" Vincent said quietly. "I have something I have to tell you. And we should start heading following the trail."
Abigail''s heart skipped a beat. She couldn''t speak; she just nodded, and they strode towards Ob. They both were walking in awkward silence until she finally said, "What is it that you need to tell me, Vin?"
Vincent stopped. Looked her in the eyes and simply said, "Us."
"Us?" Abigail''s voice barely a whisper now.
"Look, that dude was handsome, and I know magic makes us all good-looking, but he was something different. Before we meet him, he bats his eyes at you because you are just as attractive¡" He drew in a deep breath. "Abigail, I like you a lot. I have for quite some time, and I don''t want to tell you in case things go poorly one way or another. If you don''t feel the same, I get it." Before she could reply, he turned and continued walking. "Don''t cry, don''t throw up, don''t cry, don''t throw up." He told himself.
Abigail stood there in shock for a second. This was it. It was finally the moment she had longed for the best person she could ever think of to confess his feelings. As she got out of shock, she noticed he was several paces ahead of him. Racing after him, she simply grabbed his hand, interlocked her fingers, and kissed him on the cheek. Whispered in his ear, "Bout damn time, hunter." The two of them were now grinning ear to ear, holding each other''s hands; for the first time, they were a party and more than friends.
Chapter 4 - Im No Homewrecker
Eclipse woke up with a new skill. She could feel the power brewing inside of her. She didn''t use a stone or anything to get this skill. She did not level up. What happened? Confused, she looked over at Ob, who was sound asleep. Did he give me an item to get a new skill? she thought to herself. Why in the god''s realms would he do such a thing? What exactly does he plan to do? Does he believe that this will grant him ownership of my soul? He should think again.
"Nah," a voice entered her head, "I already told ya, I ain''t about that ownership crap. You and I are partners. I gave you an ice stone. It was classified as rare, but I figured it could be helpful for you more than me."
"I apologize. It is highly unusual to meet a human who is so.." she said, picking her next words carefully, "trusting."
Ob chuckled. "Can''t say I''ve ever been called that before, but hey, first time for everything. I have some questions for you now that we''re both awake. How do I use my powers?"
"I am not the one who should be teaching you. I am not like you; you are a physical being with magic potential. I am a magical being with physical potential. In that, we are opposites. How I use magic is just being me. I imagine that you, Ob, must use your instincts to help you understand your powers. Did you get any?" Eclipse replied. Stirring to sit up and get closer to him in the cave. This gesture surprised him, but he did not comment on it.
"Yes, I did. I got my natural powerset and nurtured power."
"I see. To beings who are like you, non-magical beings, we call you Nomags in my dimension. It is, as I just said. To beings who are like that, however, the powers that they grow and develop are conduits to use magic; it''s based on who and what they are. We dragons do not have powers because we are governed by our kind; there is only so much we can do as dragons. But what we can do other magical beings cannot, like Nymphs or Mermaids. It is about balance, Ob. This is why Nomags are restricted to two powers, but over the millennia, they have developed a way to grant one more power based on which allegiance you choose.
¡°Are your powers Draconian Ally and Slayer? It appears your encounters before entering your body and after with my mother have given you these powers. They seem to fit your nature."
"They also compliment each other and you. It appears you have heavily influenced my ability and power set. I''m quite satisfied." Ob said proudly
"Yes, it does appear that way. I have gained an ability that will allow both of us to spar and grow. This is quite nice. I am content with this. Learning how you battle as you develop your style will be good. Hmmm," She stopped and looked out the cavern entrance.
"Yeah, I feel ''em too. They were at the park. I wonder what they want," Ob replied, sensing people walking in their direction. He wasn''t sure how he felt them. To Ob, the sensation was like when he was standing in a room listening to music but could feel someone''s eyes on him. It was creepy and weird, "Is this what that spider superhero sense is like?" He could feel Eclipse prepare for a fight. He put a calming hand on her snout. Smoke was now flowing out, surely an intimidation tactic.
"We come in peace. We are simply here to talk," a smooth male voice said in a half yell.
"You were at the park. Why are you here?" Growled Eclipse.
"Easssy now, princess, let''s hear them out. They appear to know of your power; you scare them. Good." Ob said to his companion.
"We came to talk for two reasons, but both lead us to you." The female voice said. "Identify us. We are no harm to you."
Status: Abigail Montall
Race: Elf
Level 10: Bronze tier
Natural Power: Enchantress
Skill: Toxic Curse
Skill: Purge
Nurtured Power: Healer
Skill: Healing Pulse
Skill: Holy Health
Federation Power: Guardian
Skill: Healing Waters
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Skill: Body Shield
"Abigail, huh," Ob thought to himself & Eclipse by proxy. "So that''s what Elfs look like."
Abigail was a beautiful Elf. As most Elves were. However, Abigail was one of those who were even more so good-looking. She was tall, standing nearly 6 feet, and toned like an Olympic athlete. She had olive skin with long white hair but in a practical braid, with a slight golden leaf tiara on top; the braid nearly touched her mid-back. Her features were soft and delicate. Abigail had a couple freckles on her cheek. Her eyes were dark forest green. They shifted focus between Ob and the dragon. They were sharp; if anything toughened her up, it was her eyes; they looked like she was not one to be messed with. She wore a long robe that was tied closed by a belt. Under her robe, she wore a green tunic that matched her eyes. With elvish words marking the material, magically infused, Ob guessed.
"Are you attracted to her?" Eclipse responded to his comment about the elf. She felt as if it was said in a different tone.
"Nah, she''s not really my type. And it''s clear that she is very into this man. I''m no homewrecker," Ob said
¡°Homewrecker, what does destroying homes have to do with anything?" Eclipsed asked.
"Oh right, different vernacular; it basically means I come into a relationship and destroy it for my own taking."
"People do that in your world?"
"Oh yeah¡ even family. But that''s neither here nor there¡ I do have eyes, though; she is stunning." Eclipse gave a mental agreement with Ob''s sentiment.
Status: Vincent von Smitt
Race: Human
Level 8: Bronze tier
Nurtured Power: Deadshot
Skill: Arrow Conjuration
Skill: Steady Hands
Natural Power: Hunter
Skill: Marksman
Skill: Shadow Sneak
Federation Power: Explorer
Skill: Spinter
Skill: Stealth
"See," Abigail said, "we mean you no harm. We simply want to talk."
"Okay, nothing funny, though; it''ll get ugly real quick, and you won''t win," Ob replied. Sharp and cold.
"You are not from here. Most humans do not speak like you. Where are you from?" Abigail asked. Abigail took in the man in front of her. Vincent was right; he was extremely handsome. Chocolate brown skin with a chiseled jawline and a symmetrical face. He had a little stubble, but she absently wondered how he looked clean-shaven. His eyes were the most interesting; his irises, or what should have been his irises, were orange and red but not bloodshot. Something straight from nature, like an eclipse. The image of a solar eclipse crossed her mind as she thought the word. His irises shimmered red and orange, with his pupils being black like the moon covering the sun. They were breathtaking. "As you read, I am Abigail Montall; this is my em." She paused to think of the right word to call Vincent, "partner, and party member Vincent von Smitt. What are your names?"
"Right, I''m Ob Jones. This is Eclipse. I''m uh from a very distant land," Ob lied while also. Telling Eclipse to keep his secret between them for now mentally: "I come from a small village, where magic is desolate. I was given the gift of magic and traveled here."
"And in your travels, you met a dragon and found a dragon charm?" Abigail questioned skeptically.
"I''m lucky." Ob shrugged, "I know dragons are not loved here, but I am not sure why?"
"For one part, it is because of soul-links gone poor," Abigail said wearily. "As you know, soul-links alter nature but not conditions of the soul. If a creature is linked with something with an evil condition, that creature will inherit that condition. This happened with a powerful demi-god. The soul-link to a hydra. gods know how they found a Hydra charm. No one has ever heard of something so rare. The hydra and the demi-god wreaked havoc on everyone and everything. It took the gods'' intervention to put an end to it. This happened on a lesser scale with several elemental dragons. Dragons have hurt people, and people are afraid of that fact. Yet here you are, soul-linked to quite possibly the most beautiful dragon I have ever seen, acting as if you have no care in the world. Are dragons common in your small area?"
"No. Remember, magically desolate. Dragons are magical beings. There is no way they would survive." Ob responded, being proud to know a fact, even if it was a lie.
"Your power makes you a target," Vincent finally said. "People don''t take well to Draconians."
"I don''t take well to bullies. So it''s even," Ob retorted
"That''s part of the reason why we''re here. You have the balls to stand up to Moris like that. He was not happy, especially not seeing you''re a Normy." Vincent continued, "You see, Abs and I are in need of some power and, well, stupidity or courage, whatever you want to call it. You''re undecided about a federation; I think you should go for Maverick. You have the resolve. You''ll need to train first, though that test is a doozy."
"Abs? Are you two a fresh couple? Both of you hesitated when you said each other''s name. Abigail paused as if wondering what to label y''all." Ob asked, "Rather than convince me to join your party or whatever, figure out your hearts first. Love is the best!"
"Huh?" The two said, both blushing.
"What are you talking about? Did you not just hear what Vincent said?!" Abigail asked incredulously.
"I heard him loud and clear, but the uncertainty of your new love is distracting. I''ll consider your proposal to join your party. I''ll work with you until I pick a federation; then, we shall see if I fit fully into your party. On one final condition."
"If you mention our love life... "Vincent said in a warning tone.
Ob chuckled, "No, no," with a massive grin on his face. "Teach me how to use my powers. I''m completely at a loss."
Abigail and Vincent shared a look. How could someone live in this world and never have heard of magic, let alone powers? Could he really be the first person from his tribe with magic potential? Something seemed wrong, but they needed more time to press the issue. Everyone has secrets, Abigail thought to herself.
Chapter 5 - Its NOT All About Power
"Well then. Let us start with the basics." Abigail began her lecture, "There are 6 level tiers
Normal, which are you; Bronze, us, Eclipse, Silver, Gold, Adamantium; and lastly, Ancient."
"Got it," Ob responded.
"In order to reach ancient level, you need to amass 21,000,000 total experience points. Which is a total of 7,000,000 per power, per skill."
"What the damn hell! That''s a lot. Damn." Ob exclaimed.
"It is. This is why there are so few ancient tiers. Some take centuries to reach Adamantium. Normal tier ends at level 2, 0 exp is needed to reach it. Everyone without a full magic powerset is considered normal. Bronze tier ends at level 24. 30k exp is needed to complete Bronze.Silver tier ends at level 59. 100k exp is needed to complete Silver. Gold tier ends at level 92. 430k exp is needed to complete Gold. The adamantium tier ends at level 100. 6.4m exp is needed to complete Adamantium. Ancient tier never ends. The exp never stops. There is no higher level barring gods, demi-gods, or cosmic beings."
Abigail paused to look up to see Ob staring at her intently. He was paying full attention and had no questions so far. She must admit, she was impressed. Her boyfriend, on the other hand¡ was passed out snoring in the corner next to the fire.
"So realistically, it''s 90k exp for Bronze. 300k exp for Silver, 1.29m exp for Gold, 19.3m exp for Adamantium. I understand. That''s a massive jump between Gold and Adamantium." Ob said.
"Exactly. The tricky part about tiers is they do not tell the whole story. You could be a Silver with only one skill in Gold. Or you could be a Silver with all your skills in Silver. This is what makes being a crusader so fun. You choose your path, how you train, how you grow. You can completely ignore a power if you want or train them all evenly." she continued, excitement building in her tone.
"Can you be an ancient without having each power maxed out?" Ob questioned.
"No, you cannot. This is what makes it so hard to reach ancient tier. They have obtained the full 21m exp. To add to your statement, Adamantium tier is 92% of the exp pool." Abigail stated.
"Ah yes, that is a giant gap." Ob responded, "So with things like identify, it will only show levels, not exp, right?"
"Correct," Abigail said, "you''ve picked this up really quickly."
"Yeah," Ob knew the reason why was because this reminded him of video games that he used to play back on Earth. The leveling system all but confirmed that someone from his dimension had, in fact, landed here and brought back things to his world. He wasn''t sure how his new teacher friend would react to knowing he was not from this dimension and could understand what she was saying because of a false reality created based on this dimension. So there is a way back home. I am not sure I want to be home. But there is a way home. Ob thought to himself. How do you train or gain experience?
"It depends on your powerset and skills. For me, I get experience every time I successfully heal or defend myself or someone else. Making my experience growth painfully slow if I am not in a party or working in a healing temple. Which is very boring. My skill, Toxic Curse, will only grow if I deal with anything toxic. This is why it is my lowest skill level, only level 5, while my other levels are 15."
"That must be frustrating. If there is a skill-based on movement, the more you do that movement, the more it levels up? It is not all fighting monsters and getting power."
"No, it is NOT all about power. It is about finding the pathway that is best for your magical power set and doing that. Having a party to help you can be fun, but you can also do it alone. Not sure why anyone would want to."
Ob noticed a spark in her dark green eyes. She loved being out in the world; she loved being able to explore new things. "I understand. Is that how the two of you got connected? Is there some party creation place or something?"
Abigail made a sound that sounded like rustling leaves on a warm autumn day; Ob really enjoyed that sound. He assumed it was her laughter, "No, Vin and I have been friends for our whole lives. Our tribes are really close to each other, and we trade with each other. We decided that we wanted to form our own crusader party, but the minimum is three. We also require some power. I cannot attack with my powerset; I can just defend. Vin is strong but not a damage dealer, more like a powerful scout."
"Ah, I see; that''s why he said I should go to be a Maverick?"
"Yes and no, you are strong, Ob, very strong; your magical potential is insane. It is all over your aura, the aura of someone who is not to be messed with. Like a venomous snake, it will leave you alone if you leave it alone but provoked. It is deadly." Abigail stared at Ob for a long time. It was as if she was trying to read Ob''s story through his eyes, but she could not. Ob''s heart skipped a beat. I guess I am attracted to her... This could be a problem. Ob thought.
"Oh," he said shyly, "em thanks¡ I appreciate it," giving her a genuine kind smile.
"Yes. What other questions do you have?" Abigail turned her gaze away, hiding a blush.
"What are attributes? I see them in my vision, and I don''t know what they do."
"You see them? That is not something you should be able to see. These are things that people have an innate sense of but should not see them. Can you describe what you see?" Abigail asked quizzically.
"I believe I can answer that question for you, Abigail." Eclipse spoke into the minds of Abigail and Ob, "Ob possesses an ability that allows him to view the world differently; this appears as he calls it a heads-up display and user interface. They show him his attributes, stats, vitality, and manna as they are depleting in real-time, without the innate sense you or I do. This is how he sees them."
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"Yeah, what the princess said." Ob echoed.
"That is the second time you have referred to her as a princess. Am I missing something?" Abigail asked.
"Yes, but now is not the time," Eclipse said while glaring at Ob.
"Ahh, my bad."
"Hmm, Eclipse, do you see how he sees being his soul-link? What is that ability called?" Abigail asked.
"I do. That is privileged information, I am afraid. We cannot tell you all of our secrets now, can we?" Eclipse replied.
"No, I suppose not. Attributes are Stamina, Vitality, Manna, Speed, and Strength.
Stamina determines how long you can run without getting tired, which is helpful in battles if you run around a lot like Vin. There is no stat for Stamina. It is inherent. You can feel it within yourself.
Vitality, well, is your life force; if that hits zero, you die. It determines how resistant you are to attacks and how resilient you are. You could equate it to health, but that is a massive understatement of all that it does. The higher your vitality, the harder it is for you to be damaged by something in your tier.
Manna is your pool for magic; depending on your power set and abilities, it can recharge over time at various speeds. The higher level you are, the faster it restores, the bigger your pool is. I have been told there are ways to learn to recharge it more quickly, but I have yet to come across that.
Strength is how much damage you deal with; the higher your strength, the more damage.
Speed is how fast you move, react, and perceive. The higher the speed stat, the faster you are.
Typically, you gain an option to add to an attribute per level and per skill. Every tier up, you receive an additional 15 attribute coins to use on whatever you''d like. There are items, albeit very rare, that you could use to substantially boost your attributes. Sometimes, our aura and soul will slowly internally boost a quality if you have a particular affinity to any of those, but that is also rare.
I have heard that there are high tiers who can read the attributes of their opponents. But I believe those are just stories to tell young crusaders to be careful. Unless you are in a trusted party, you should keep your attributes to yourself, especially your vitality." Abigail finished her long spiel.
"Hmmm, okay, I see. I see. Can I ask you a potentially personal question?" Ob asked.
"You can, but do not be disappointed if I do not answer." She replied
"Fair enough, you mentioned that you do not have any attacking skills; how is that possible? How are you meant to survive in this world without any attacking skills?"
"That is a great question. I have to be a supporter, and I need a party. That is just the way it is." She replied softly.
"Hmmm, I think you might be using them wrong."
Abigail stiffened, and her aura started to spike in anger. This woke Vincent up. "What!?" If looks could kill, Abigail''s look towards Ob probably would have killed him¡. Again. "How dare you. You dare ask all these questions, then say I am misusing my powerset. The powers that I have had for 3 years!"
Ob stays perfectly calm, letting the anger wash over him. He showed no fear, no remorse, nothing. Vincent noted this. Did he say that on purpose to see her angry? Was this a test? Ob was a definite normy, a significantly removed Normy, but he was measured. He did everything with a purpose; at least, that is the vibe that Vincent got. Vincent was a skilled hunter. This meant that he could get a read on most creatures: humans, elves, you name it. He could read their body language. Ob dripped with confidence and power. Ob was different. Rivaling his girlfriend''s intelligence and a dragon''s emotional control, he was a force not to be trifled with. Vincent just watched; he did not ready for a fight. He had a feeling that this, in fact, was a test.
"Yes" Is all Ob said.
Abigail sprinted towards Ob in a flash, faster than Ob could even perceive the movement, and slammed him into the ground by the neck. Ob could feel blood trickling out of his head. Eclipse looked on with smoke starting to bellow out of her nostrils. Ob told her to wait; he had a plan. "Do you feel that? Do you feel that pain? I may not have magical powers that do damage, but I still do." Abigail said, squeezing his neck through gritted teeth while talking to him. "Here is another lesson: Tiers matter at the power level. Although you may be 6 levels lower than Vincent," she said, still choking Ob, "because he is in the Bronze tier, his damage does more, and you would do less." Ob looked at Abigail with raised eyebrows and a smirk.
Status: You have been cursed.
Toxins have entered your manna pool. You are slowly losing health and manna. As the toxins spread, they will deal more damage over time.
"Great, could you let go of my neck and heal me now, please¡"
Abigail shook her head, clearing the anger. What just happened? Why had she just snapped at Ob? Why didn''t the dragon attack her? Why did he say great? Abigail shook those questions and saw that Ob was turning a sickly purple color. She gasped and chanted a quick spell in Elvish''s tongue.
Status: You are being healed.
Toxins are leaving your manna stream.
"Thank you for that," Ob said, standing up and shaking off the dust on his tunic.
"What just happened?" Abigail asked nervously
"Congratulations, you just learned how to do damage with your skills," Ob said, smirking, walking over to Eclipse. Patting her on the snout. Eclipse kept daggers on Abigail but leaned into Ob.
"That was very interesting," Vincent said, emerging from the shadows. "Ob, how did you know that she could do that?"
"Her skill is literally called Toxic Curse," Ob responded. "I couldn''t think of a more attack-sounding name than anything. Abigail, you''re sweet, but wear your emotions on your sleeve. I could tell as soon as you said Toxic Curse that something was pissing you off."
"You noticed that too," Vincent said.
Ob walked over to Abigail and took her hands in a friendly shake. "Thanks for healing me; not sure how I would have shaken that curse off. It was potent. Thank you for teaching me all of that. It really means a lot. Listen, I think we should put an end to the lessons and let tempers cool off. Plus, I am starving!! I think I saw a small town about a 2-minute walk that way. I''ll go grab some food and stuff. I think we''ll be in this cave for some time. I have a lot of training to do." Ob was already heading out the entrance without waiting for a reply from the other two, "Eclipse, you coming?" The two of them walked out together.
"Well," Vincent said, walking over to Abigail. Kissing her on the cheek, "That was fun. I think we need to talk about our new friend before he gets back. His bond with his dragon is growing stronger every minute."
"Yes," she said, kissing him back, "he is a swift learner and highly perceptive. There is something about him that is off, but my instincts are not telling me of danger, even when I attack him. He did not strike back. What a strange man.
Chapter 6 - Domineering and Seductive
"Why did you let her attack you?" Eclipse asked
"Cause she needed to see that she was getting in her own way. It was going to do no good for me to simply say it. She would have denied it immediately," Ob replied. "It''s clear she has a hard time keepin her emotions in check, which is quite interesting for the heir to her kingdom. But I suppose she is running from that."
"How do you know that she is royalty?" Eclipse asked again.
"She talks like you, all prim and proper, the way she moves, how she is dressed, it wreaks of royalty," Ob said. Eclipse shot daggers at her soul-link partner as a warning to tread lightly. "Hey, I have no issue with royalty. It is just not my thing. I grew up in a rural area; we grew our own food, for heaven''s sake. It''s not that we didn''t have money; it''s that we acted like we didn''t. Then all the pricks from the fancy private schools looking down their noses at us." Ob paused, noticing he was getting worked up. Took a deep breath and said, "I just don''t appreciate when people act like they''re hot stuff over things they did not do themselves."
"Hold firm to those principles because you already have a lot of gold. More than most people earn in two years'' wages." Eclipse stated, "Crusaders are wealthy, very wealthy, and that''s rewards from missions they accept. It appears you have something in your powerset that gives you bonus rewards during things. This is rare; soon, you will see what it is like to be royalty. Then I want to see how many of those faces you look down on." She ended flatly.
"I get it. I shouldn''t judge. I also should not have insulted you; for that, I am sorry." Ob said, recognizing the offended tone in his partner''s voice.
Eclipse didn''t say anything, just kept walking. Arrogance, she thought.
The two entered the village just as the sun set; a few food stalls were open with very little food left. "Sorry, the pickings are slim." The vendor said. "What can I get yew two?" He started eyeing up the dragon slowly, "Don''t think I have enough for that one there, but enough for two or three of yous," he said, gesturing to Ob.
"Oh, but that''s too bad," a sinister-sounding voice said, appearing out of the shadows. She was tall with leathery light purple skin, and black horns mixed with her black hair stood atop her head. She had a pair of giant bat wings protruding from her back. She walked and talked with Sultry, clearly trying to seduce the vendor. "My friends and I just got back to town and are sooo hungry. You''re going to feed your loyal customer second to this¡ "she looked Ob up and down "...Draconian¡"
"I''m sorry, friend, but she is right. Loyalty comes first. I''ll have to serve her first, and then you can get what''s left if there is anything." The vendor said, sounding slightly off. "Or come back tomorrow, and I''ll get you right." As the vendor turned to gaze at that thing, Ob asked him one more thing.
"Know anywhere where I can buy produce and meat?"
"Why do you care, Draconian? It is time for you to go." The lady said.
"Listen, I was not talking to you. Unless you have anything useful to say to me, you can beat it." Ob said, annoyance setting in. Eclipse shook her head and told Ob to be prepared for a fight.
The woman raised an eyebrow, then laughed. Her laugh was like nails on a chalkboard. "You dare speak to me like this, Normy? I am a Bronze level Crusader, leader of my Crusader party, The Dark Wings," She said with her voice raising an octave. "I ought to kill you where you stand. All your powers are level 1 anyway. This would not be much harder than stepping on an ant." She laughed again.
"What is with this area! It''s like we strolled into asshole central! That first dude was hot garbage, treating my friend like nothing. Then there is you, tryna be all sexual and seductive, which is not working, by the way, so you can chill with your weird aura. WHILE ALSO BEING A GARBAGE BEING. HOW?!" Ob said out loud, thoroughly annoyed, "You suck." He said, starting to turn in the other direction, "we''ll find something else."
"Mmm, not so fast, sweetheart," The seductress said. "You don''t get to say that and walk away free of charge."
"I''m doing it now, ain''t I," he said, walking away and waving a hand in the air.
Suddenly, the air got thick, and a pervasive aura engulfed Eclipse and Ob. The aura was domineering and seducing, willing its target to bend to every order it gave. It was trying to make Ob fear them and regret the moment he opened his big dumb mouth. "I said you can''t go without some sort of repercussion," the seductress said. "What is your name, fool."
"Why not just identify me," Ob said through gritted teeth, pretending to be hidden in fear until the right moment to attack.
The seductress chuckled, "Silly boy, I can only identify you with consent, and I doubt that you''ll give me consent now, but when I am done with you, you will."
"Good to know. Then Nah, I''m good. You don''t get to know."
She was now inches away from his face. Her mouth grinned the smile of a predator that caught its prey and was ready to eat it. Her mouth was full of razor-sharp teeth dripping with purple venom. "I am going to enjoy this".
As she stalked closer, Ob felt heat rising from his belly; his instincts were screaming for him to wait a little longer, and he gave the same mental command to Eclipse. The stalker opened her mouth to bite on the neck of Ob.
Abigail held her boyfriend''s hand, fingers interlocked; she absently squeezed it as she thought. How had Ob gotten the best of her? What caused the attack to do damage when all the other times it did not? Could she do it again? Who was this man? Abigail was always taught how to keep her emotions in check; this was the way of elves, after all. They were known to be well-educated, proper, and even-tempered. What she displayed was unbecoming of an Elf. She felt that shame radiate through her entire being. "My father would be very disappointed in me," She stated. "We keep telling them tribe, but we come from vast kingdoms. As the heir to the throne, I have to know better; I have to be better."
"Your father is not here." Vincent replied, "he sent you to gain new experiences to be a crusader like he was. Losing your temper in this space is the best thing to happen. You found out that you can be pushed AND that you can attack. That''s awesome, Abs!! I bet there is even more to your powers!
"You are sweet. I thank you for your words; they are kind and reassuring," she replied, kissing him. "What do we do with Ob? He is smart and cunning. I want to know what makes him tick. I want to know more about this tribe and how it can be magically desolate in this world. Magic reigns supreme?"
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
"There''s a lot of worlds out there, Abs," Vincent replied calmly.
"Okay, so maybe there is. Is this someone we want in our party? What? Because he stood up to an alpha wolf, he likely does not even know what an alpha werewolf is?"
"It is not just that, Abigail, and you know it. What is really bothering you about him?"
"I do not know Vin, but there is something about him that I am not comfortable with. My instincts tell me things are safe, but my mind is not. I have never experienced such tribulation in my senses before."
"Mmm," He replied thoughtfully. "Maybe we should be more cautious with him, after all. I wanted to see him; you wanted to see the dragon."
"This is true. About that, did you notice how she gets a little more upset every time he calls her princess? Do you think that he is mocking her? Do you think he has a thing against royalty?"
"I think that she is a princess. Dragons have monarchies, too. We do need to find out what species of dragon she is because I have never seen a dragon that beautiful or felt the power of a dragon such as that but was so young." Vincent commented, "I bet when Eclipse hits Adamantium, it will rival that hydra from your story. Here''s to hoping her soul-link isn''t made with power."
"I agree, which brings me back to my original question. What do we do with Ob? I think we have the power to mold him into something good. However, something tells me he has a soul of gold, a very good man trying to make it in this evil world. Perhaps that is what is bothering me because he is a Draconian, which goes against their nature or the reported nature of Dracionians. Those are rare; to be considered a true Draconian, they must be neutral inherently."
"How do you mean? If that is the case, why does the world hate them? Also, what is a soul-link?"
"Dragons are unique amongst all magical creatures. They can be caught and treated poorly. They can be manipulated to do things in order for the dragon to keep their kin and offspring safe." Abigail began to answer
"Dragon eggs..."
"Exactly. You, of all people, know how valuable a dragon egg is. Some take centuries to hatch, and most take decades. A newborn dragon is completely and totally neutral; they have no biases. They are moldable like clay. So when a newborn dragon is hatched and taken, it can be morphed into whatever its captor wants it to be."
"Okay, so a Draconian must display a similar nature or be neutral?"
"Yes. However, you have seen Ob. He is not neutral; he is good. He stands up for those who are being treated poorly. Someone evil does not do that. Someone neutral would not be upset about Moris telling him to leave; he would just have left. This is what is interesting about his companion. To find a dragon charm is impressive in its own regard. To find a rare dragon such as Eclipse so young makes this encounter nearly impossible. You have a moldable newborn with a Draconian Ally. The mother dragon must have sensed his aura of being a Draconian before offering the soul-link because there is no way that would happen in the wild.
A soul-link is essentially a lifelong bond. The charm connects the souls of two beings; this bond is deep. The two must have just linked because their connection is growing exponentially. Which means they linked shortly after Ob received or found the dragon charm. Something is going on with Ob that he is not telling us. Once again, what do we do with him? He is hiding some big secrets, and his story has significant gaps. Is this the type of person we want to be partied with?" Abigail finished her long explanation, looking pleadingly into her partner''s eyes, seeking the answer to a question she really desired the answer to.
"Better with him than against him. I suggest we train with him and do what it takes to get him to join our party. He and Eclipse are powerful, even if he is a level 1. She is level 5 and holds very high potential. His potential," Vincent paused to stare into the campfire. "My grandpaw used to tell stories of beings with insane potential. Where they appear, it is clear that they are strong, their aura, their soul, their powers. It is as if they were born as magical and physical beings, not split 50/50 but fully 100/100. There is a name for it, but I forgot what it was called, something with a C." The world went dark and cold. A mist filled the cave, and there was an aura that seemed familiar but not something he should have been able to understand.
"Celestine," A divine voice said, "Oscar -Blane Jones is indeed a celestine. Or at least he is progressing towards that." The two of them looked up to see a being transparent and blue, with a form roughly fading in and out.
"Grandma¡" Vincent stated in disbelief, "Why, how are you here?"
"Hello, dear boy. My time is limited as I am making my final pass; I wanted to say goodbye. I overheard your conversation. The goddess of death allowed me to say one thing before I moved on." Vincent''s grandmother explained, "Shh, don''t speak. Just listen. Your path is your path, and I am not here to provide additional knowledge or advice. You have made all of us extremely proud; our tribe and our people have seen the remarkable young man you have become carry on the gift of our ancestors. You have been chosen by our ancestral tribe to wield this; take it and be the best hunter in this generation. I love you; I will see you again." She touched his hand, bestowing the gift, and just like that, she was gone.
"NOW!" Ob shouted as flames erupted from his mouth, entering the mouth of his attacker. As the fire entered her insides, Eclipse released a bright white fire breath attack to coat her outside. Eclipse was closer level to this woman, so her damage on the outside would be formidable. Eclipse was also strong, very strong; she could easily outpace anyone or anything at least 10 levels higher than her within her tier. Her white fire breath was a unique feature of being a solar dragon. Each solar dragon is born with the energy of a star. Stars are known to have various heat signatures in multiple colors. White is the hottest a flame can be. Then blue, then yellow, then orange-red. Eclipse has the power of a white star she was born with, and her attacks can do maximum damage.
When Ob attacked, he realized two things. 1 - He had finally learned and loved how to harness his powers. The energy powering into his body and being released was a huge rush. Secondly, the creature was using some kind of fear to impact him. His strength had been gaining significant bonuses the more she used it. He had to act like it was working so she would keep using it and he could get strong enough to do some significant damage.
There it lay on the ground, burnt to a crisp, motionless, dead. Ob has obtained his first confirmed kill. "I-i just¡ killed her." Ob stammered shock setting in.
"Yes, fire tends to do that to¡ kill." Eclipse responded with zero remorse, "Oh. Have you never killed anything before? Or seen anything die?"
"I have nothing so human or sentient like insects or bugs. I have seen small animal creatures get taken or dead. This through her eyes, the look in her eyes, as she realized she was dying. It was creepy." Ob couldn''t shake the scared look that creature had displayed; it was haunting worse than the wraiths. "That is going to give me nightmares, for sure."
"All things considered, good job. Consolidate our spoils later; let''s find some food and return to the cave. I''m pretty sure that Succubus said they were a team. I don''t want them to find us; you cannot do another attack like that. Plus, the smell of burnt Succubus is really gross." Eclipse said as she was striding side by side with her new partner. They had completed their first kill together as a team, and it went flawlessly. Too flawlessly. Why were their tactics so on point? How could they take out something so many levels higher than them without too much cause? Ob. If you are going to have power rivaling a god, I have to keep you alive. This can be a forever link, how exciting Eclipse thought to herself. She may have resisted it initially, but she was really starting to like Ob and cared for him deeper and deeper as each moment passed.
"Eclipse¡" Ob said, sounding very off, interrupting her thoughts, "I don''t feel good. Eclipse. My head is pounding; I feel nauseous, and like I am about to pass out."
"It''s your manna; it must be very low. I think you may be progressing to bronze tier as well; let''s get you back to the cavern; we''ll send the others to get us some food and water," Eclipse responded, sounding concerned for her partner.
Ob muttered something slightly intangible and then saw black. Ob, once again, passed out.
Chapter 7 - Secrets
Ob saw a young man; the young man was staring at him intensely. It looked like the young man was speaking, but Ob heard nothing. Ob walked closer, and the words were finally audible. ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace. I can¡¯t believe Mom and Dad ever adopted you. You¡¯re trash and always have been.¡± The young man told him.
Ob tried to respond, but before he could, another voice spoke up from behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so mad at me, my guy. YOU cheated off me, YOU stole the car, YOU got in the accident. I ain¡¯t do none of that. The only thing I¡¯m guilty of is being the only family member to come see you in prison, and this is how you treat me?¡± The other voice said.
¡°Oscar, get outta my face, man. Don¡¯t nobody wanna hear this ultra nice guy routine! I hate you.¡±
¡°Brother, what did I do to you? Why do you hate me.¡± Oscar asked.
¡°You have no idea how hard it is to live up to the prodigal son! Here comes Oscar with perfect grades, here comes Oscar with the perfect girl, here comes Oscar with doing great, Oscar, Oscar, Oscar. That¡¯s all I ever heard. You¡¯re hot garbage, bro; I was stuck livin'' in your shadow. Just you wait when I¡¯m outta here. You¡¯re next. Just you wait.¡± He hung up the phone and walked away, leaving Oscar by himself.
Ob woke up after passing out. Man, I have got to stop doing that, Ob thought. He rubbed the back of his neck, realizing it was drenched in sweat. That was a nasty memory to dream about. It felt so real. Like I was reliving that moment. Why did he think that I was some perfect person? The threat. I don¡¯t remember him saying that at the jail. I know he stormed off but something about that seemed off.
¡°Oh good you have woken up.¡± Abigail said walking up to him, ¡°here eat. We were talking when Eclipse was dragging you in. It appears you used all of your manna, congratulations. You are on your way to being a full magic user.¡±
Ob sat up and took the offered food with glee. He hadn¡¯t eaten while in this new dimension and he was starving. ¡°Thank you. I feel different. I feel strange¡± Ob said in a raspy voice, in between bites.
¡°You advanced my friend!¡± Vincent said excitedly ¡°Welcome to the bronze tier.¡±
¡°I advanced? VON?¡± Ob began to check his notifications.
Status: Enemy defeated - Succubus
You have defeated a Succubus.
Reward - 5000 gold pieces
Reward - Dark Heart
Level up - Skill: Dragon''s Breath
Dragon¡¯s breath is now level 5
Dragon¡¯s breath is now bronze tier, Dragon¡¯s breath can now be used through items.
Level up - Power: Natural Power: Draconian Ally
Draconian Ally is now level 2
Level Up - Power: Nurtured Power: Slayer
Slayer is now level 3
Status: Advancement
You have advanced from Normal to Bronze
You have gained an additional 15 coins to add to your attributions. Total coins: 27.
¡°A succubus huh?¡± Ob said mostly to himself but out loud.
¡°Is that what you killed? Damn. Ob, that is impressive, they are notoriously tough to kill.¡± Vincent said.
¡°I uh, had a lot of help. Eclipse did the damage from the outside.¡± Ob admitted.
¡°That¡¯s not how to kill a succubus though.¡± Vincent replied ¡°Yes your awesome dragon companion did a devastating blow that aided you. Succubus can only be killed from inside. Their exterior skin is nearly indestructible. How did you know that would work?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t. I got lucky. I knew that I was too weak to attack it and do any damage. I saw it open its jaw to try to attack us. So once I felt the manna surge through my body, I blew fire in its mouth. Thinking that there was a chance I could kill it cause most creatures are more vulnerable on their insides. It was a gamble.¡± Ob replied.
¡°That is not luck.¡± Abigail said. ¡°Luck is rolling dice and getting what you wanted 3 times in a row. You displayed instincts.¡±
¡°Do you have a power that is related to killing? Like Hunter, Assassin, Executioner -¡°
¡°Slayer¡± Vincent and Ob said at the same time.
¡°Right,¡± Vincent said, ¡°is that what you have? Slayer. That is not exceptionally rare. Rare as in very few people have it because it requires some divine intervention. But rare because few people have that ability. ¡± Vincent said, sounding almost too impressed. ¡°Slayers have the ability to sense how to kill their opponents most powers relating to killing does, but a slayer is much more precise. I would have known about their strengths instinctually but not know how to kill it. You¡¯ve got a rare power and a gift my friend. It means you have a crazy resolve.¡±
¡°So I''ve been told¡¡± Ob said distractedly.
¡°That still does not account for the fact that she was 13 levels higher than you Ob.¡± Abigail interjected ¡°Even with your smart thinking or how you call it ¡°luck¡± your damage should have been absolutely minimal to her. How are you so strong?¡±
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
¡°I honestly don¡¯t know, Abigail.¡± Ob responded innocently, still hiding his ability which gave him a massive strength bonus. ¡°I want to know, I have all these coins from leveling up. I want to distribute them wisely but I am not sure what the best thing to do is.¡±
¡°Well that depends,¡± Abigail said, raising a hand to Ob ¡°Let me finish, are you wanting to work alone or work in a party? Alone you would want to be well balanced. Taking care to be able to handle most situations, in a party though, you can be more specialized and your party members can cover the rest. We have already offered you to join our party. You also have Eclipse to think about, she is your lifelong companion so even there you have a bonus strength that you won¡¯t need, cause you will never be walking alone.¡±
¡°I see. I guess that makes sense. For now though, I think I will put them all evenly as I am at such a low level. Having a strong foundation before specializing will be good. Thank you, Abigail. You have answered an immense amount of questions, your wealth of knowledge is well noted.¡± Ob said, giving her a respectful nod.
Status: Ob Jones
Has allocated his attribute coins:
+10 to Vitality
+10 to Speed
+12 to Strength
+10 to Manna
You have unlocked the ability to view your attributes. To view your attributes view your character icon in your HUD.
Attributes: Ob Jones
Vitality: 200
Speed: 135
Strength: 137
Manna: 480/480
Ob started to glow as he was allocating his coins. The swirling bronze streaks looked like mini jet streams from jets flowing around him. Inside the swirl, he could feel the strength applying to his muscles, his vitality and manna pool increased to a large depth. Ob was starting to feel very powerful and he couldn¡¯t wait to start training.
¡°Very good. Now, let¡¯s train!¡± Vincent said very excitedly.
¡°I have three skills to unlock, one is for one of my power sets, and the other two are from the federation. I have one final question but I can ask after we begin training¡± Ob said.
¡°Ask it now,¡± Abigail did her best to sound annoyed when she really enjoyed all the questions.
¡°What can you tell me about items and the rarity scale?¡± Ob asked.
¡°Hmmm ¡° she raised an eyebrow ¡°did you get a rare item?¡±
¡°Yes, the dragon charm, remember?¡± Ob said pointedly.
¡°Right, right, right¡± Abigail¡¯s face felt flushed with hot red heat. How could she forget? ¡°Um anyways, Items are based on rarity by how often and how few of them appear. Think of it like odds there are some items that are found everywhere, wooden swords & shields, 1/10 for instance is not very many to find or 1/1m. That is much harder. The ranking system is Basic to Uncommon to Rare to Legendary to Divine. Divine in itself is so rare it is believed to be a gift from a god and that is it. When it comes to selling loot, the higher the rank the better the price you would get in return.¡±
¡°That is where the fun comes in '''' Vincent added, ¡°that is what makes crusaders so rich, some people are lucky to have an extra skill or power that provides bonus rewards or loot to completed missions or defeating monsters! Having one of those in your party is a great way to get yourself some top gear. There is another scale that is not based on how often an item appears. It is also based on the quality. This doesn¡¯t happen for every item you see, typically produced, meat, armor, weapons, etc. You see there are these creatures called grats, huge beasts with large two front teeth, sickly flesh on their clawed hands, with a long skin tail that extracts toxins. Anyways they often drop their hide a legendary quality legendary rarity Grat hide will run you for 300 gold pieces. A lower quality, let¡¯s say uncommon sea witch cauldron basic rarity that sells for 600 gold pieces. When it comes to selling these things it is easy to think higher quality and higher rarity means more money but that is not the case.¡± Vincent paused to take a bite of food ¡°If you can find a skilled craftsman, sometimes they can take your low quality, high rarity item and turn them into high quality and high rarity.¡±
¡°That makes sense, how can I tell the quality?¡± Ob asked ¡°My UI tells me the rarity of an item and even classified it for me. Although I did receive an item that is all question marks and I don¡¯t know what that means. I am also guessing different armor provides different bonuses?¡±
¡°Typically there is a different color of the name when identifying an item that can receive quality bonus. What item are you referring to? Might I identify, do not worry, I cannot take it from you unless I kill you, which would not be good for me¡± Abigail asked innocently, while also peering suspiciously at the sleeping dragon, who Abigail could have sworn she saw a smile reach its lips during that moment.
¡°It¡¯s called a Soul-Home Builder," Ob said. At that mention, Eclipse¡¯s eye shot open and she walked over and lay right next to Ob, full intrigue to the once sleeping dragon.
¡°Were you fake sleeping¡?¡± Abigail asked, feeling the embarrassment once again. Eclipse offered no response, just simply looked back at the elf. Abgial continued, ¡°no matter. A Soul-Home builder is a question mark to identify due to its extreme conditions. 1) you have to have unlocked a soul-link, 2) you have to have a deep internal connection, this is based on nature of both beings being linked, 3) there must be some reason your soul-link can¡¯t roam the world with you freely, the home will allow it to travel with you within your soul, typically when that happens they will appear on your body somewhere, depends on the link. 4) you have to be lucky, you can have all those conditions lined up and still not get it. And number 5) this one is still heavily debated, but you may have to have some looting power, skill, or ability. It will just appear in people¡¯s hands or inventories.
There are some things I noticed about you and Eclipse, Ob, and that is that your bond is growing fast. It has been 3 days and you two have already done coordinated attacks and taken out creatures many levels higher than you, which is an impressive accomplishment. You two also seemed to be both inherently good-natured, which should not be possible for dragons. All I know about dragons is that they are born neutral and you Eclipse seem as if that neutrality leans good by default.¡±
¡°That is because you have never heard of my species, little elf.¡± Eclipse replied. ¡°I am of the astrological dragon species. We are unique in the fact that we are born either good or evil. It is true that I am good and my mother, the Queen, is good, but my other siblings are not. They are the new conquer queens and kings of the East, West, and South clans. My mom must have sensed the nature of Ob, well she knew he was a Draconian before he even knew that he killed a wraith, so she offered me to join before I even met him.
I am telling you this information with the trust that you will keep my secret just that. I like you two, you are fun and have been nothing gracious to Ob and myself. I am not as trusting as my counterpart however, I am not naive, I have seen the horrors of this world. I am also not that young as you all have believed, young to dragons and yes technically still a newborn but I am nearly 30 years old.¡± Eclipsed finished.
¡°Thank, thank you¡± Abigail stammered ¡°I suppose I can divulge my secret since you have entrusted me with yours.¡±
Abigail began to tell about how she is a princess of her elven kingdom and is next in line for the throne. She explained that her dad, the current king, had sent her to be a crusader for several years before she could even make the decision if she wanted to take the throne, ¡°He told me that it is not in my nature to stay in one place, I must go and explore.¡±
The group paused their discussion to go back into the town to retrieve some food and sleeping supplies. Ob had just gotten a large haul of gold after all. As they walked into the city the vendor from a few nights ago appeared with a huge smile, ¡°My friend, my friend! You have helped us greatly, thank you for saving us from that team of succubus. After you vanquished their leader, the rest of them left afraid you would come back and finish the job. Please allow me to provide a hot meal and a warm place to stay. I cannot accept no for the meal and the place tonight, you can return to your travels after one night, please please.¡±
¡°As long as you tell me your name.¡± Ob replied with a genuine smile, shaking the man''s hand.
¡°My name is Lanilion but you can call me Lani.¡± the vendor replied with glee.
¡°Nice to meet you Lani, this is Eclipse, my dragon companion, Abigail and her partner Vincent. We are pleased to actually meet you. We would love to stay, and we thank you for your hospitality.¡± Ob replied respectfully, after introducing him and his friends. The group followed Lani to his home, Ob thought to Eclipse, this is a trap, be ready to attack. Eclipse started to prepare her deadly fire attack. Eclipse sent the message to Abigail and Vincent through Dragon Speak.
Chapter 8 - Exchange Pleasentries
The group was led into a large open room. The ceiling had to be at least 15 feet in the air to form the structure with beams across the top. The lighting was dim; they used candles that appeared slightly magically infused. The decor reminded Ob of a themed medieval hotel; there were shields, banners, and animal heads that Ob had never seen besides one. A horse-like head with a single horn in the middle of his head. Ob couldn''t help but smile at the sight. The room had several pillars as support from the ground to the top. There were a couple of couches for seating, but the room''s design was straightforward: get your keys and go to your room or go outside. This was not a place to hang about.
And yet, people were hanging out. Three of them. Two of them were human men, twins, it seemed. One had black hair, the other had red. They both were small, with pointy teeth and sharp noses. They were carrying a sword and shield each. They wore chainmail armor and did not look happy to see the new team walk in. They both looked like they were well battle-tested, with scars littering their arms. Ob assumed they purposely wore sleeveless tunics to showcase the scars, an intimidation factor. Ob was not intimidated; he was actually far from it.
Scars, he thought, scars only show part of the story, the part you survived, which is good. They don''t show who caused the damage or how the scars were treated. Ob began to think back to when he got his first scar from running; he was getting ready for his heat, he was warming up, and he stepped on a rock, lost his balance, and scraped his knee on another rock. Hardly the heroic story that people might think; if anything, it shows how clumsy he was. He scratched absentmindedly at the scar on his eye, now covered by some eyebrow hair that had grown around it. He was walking home when he saw one of his younger sisters being harassed by some neighborhood boys. Ob sprinted in with a flying jump kick, landing one straight in the chest and sending him flying. Ob was then elbowed by the other guy; it wasn''t a hard elbow, but facial wounds bleed easily. Blood was pouring out his eye, and he turned to face the other bully; the bully lunged at Ob, but he dodged it and kicked the guy in the thigh with force. The bully fell to that side, screaming in pain; Ob then kicked his other side with the same force. The bully, screaming in pain and holding back tears, was grabbing both legs and bent over; he didn''t see the devastating punch to the temple that came from Ob; he was knocked out. "Now that was a scar that was a story of triumph," Ob thought with pride, thinking back on the time.
These guys, their scars looked like they willingly ran into thorn bushes and did nothing to treat their wounds. Instead of looking tough, they looked like idiots. Next to the twidiots as Ob called them, was a huge minotaur, half man, half ox. The bottom half was that of a powerlifter man, with thick muscular legs attached to an equally thick and muscular torso. The head was that of a minotaur bull head with two long, pointy gray horns. He had his massive hands on the hilt of a big claymore resting on the ground. His eyes were two little red beads staring at them with disgust.
As they got to the front desk, Lani had gone into the back to grab their keys. Two more beings walked in the front door. These two looked like the other Succubus, tall, purplish skin, walking with sultry. They wanted the whole world to know that they were sexy and weren''t afraid to use it to their advantage. They approached Ob and hissed, "What are you doing here?"
"Hello to you, too," Ob responded without looking at him. One Succubus stayed next to Ob, and the other went to the other side where Abigail stood.
"I did not exchange pleasantries, peasant; I asked you a question. Now answer it." The one closest to Ob hissed again.
"What is your name, M''lady?" Ob said in a somewhat mocking tone.
"You dare mock me? Diedra, the new leader of the Dark Wings?" Diedra spat.
"Congratulations on the new role, heard your old leader got burnt out," Ob said with a straight face, just now looking at Diedra. To his surprise, she was more human-looking than a demon; this shocked him since the voice was one straight from the depths of hell. She had a large button nose with dimples on her right cheek. Her eyes were purple, and she wore purple lipstick. Ob was impressed and thought, Magic HAS to be making everyone more attractive, right?
Diedra''s face twisted in anger. "You insolent little ant! How dare you make a joke at the dead. For one who you had the gall to kill, you dare speak ill of the dead, do you?"
"I," Ob said calmly, his voice slowly turning to ice, "did not speak of her at all. I don''t know Diedra, but you and your 4 buddies best get to steppin up out of my face. I am tired of people strolling around me, acting like they are hot shit. You are not. Move or join your former leader," Eclipse growled a growl of agreement.
"A threat?" the Minotaur spoke up. His voice was impossibly deep. "That''s ballsy from a freshly minted bronze," he said, smelling the air as if he could smell the fresh bronze advancement on Ob.
Ob noticed that Vincent and Abigail kept quiet with two different facial expressions expressing the same thing. Shock. Vincent''s face was that of a best friend, shocked and proud that his friend had just said something crazy for once. Abigail''s face, however, was one of a mother shocked her little innocent child would say such horrible things. Ob was usually milder. He knew he had the capacity but did not like it. However, Ob was tired. He is tired of daily dealing with people who are so self-righteous that they make a living here so unbearable. He was tired of feeling that people could just treat him like garbage because of his level. He has only been here for 4 days and is still exhausted by it. What would it have been like to actually grow up here?
His thoughts were interrupted by an intense aura being smashed into his. It was the same one that the other Succubus tried. He pretended to be scared again, watching his strength stat slowly increase. Without further conversation, the twins leaped into action; they both started sprinting towards Ob, swords at the ready. The red-haired one went in for a swing, then backed off and hid behind his brother''s shield. The swing missed Ob and landed on an invisible shield. Ob looked to see Abigail''s eyes glowing, and she was chanting something. "Let the shield protect." Ob was able to translate in English; it must sound better in the elf tongue. Ob activated his Cloak. It expanded to the size of a king sized sheet. It folded over him and shorded him in total black and he disappeared into the shadows just as a bright white flame erupted toward the shields of the twins. The shield held off most of the flame. Not all of it; the black-haired human''s arms were severely burnt, and he could no longer use the shield or fight. He screeched in pain, spat towards Eclipse, and made for the door. As he was almost at the exit, an arrow entered his thigh; with another shriek of pain, he looked to see another arrow hit him in the shoulder.
Vincent fired arrows in many directions to protect his healer and girlfriend. Vincent saw the glorious attack of Eclipse and was once again in awe. He shook himself from that and saw one of the little men running for the door, "Not so fast there," he said with a smile, launching the first arrow into the thigh to stop him in his tracks, then loaded and launched the second arrow into the shoulder of the man, pinning him to the wall. Vincent took a second to appreciate this bow given to him by his now-dead grandma. Vincent didn''t have an ability like Abigail or Ob to identify the rarity of items; he would have to let one of them test it out for him to see, but instinctively, he knew this was divine.
Vincent was brought back from his thoughts into his fight as he heard a war cry from the Minotaur charge him; simultaneously, he was slammed with the seductive aura. He felt the sudden urge to shoot Abigail; the aura was strong. He was doing everything he could to fight it but couldn''t help but draw his bow, grimacing towards Abigail. "Vincent, what the hell are you doing?" She said, ducking out of the way of an arrow fired from her boyfriend at her.
Abigail began to chant another spell, "Rush forward, pulses of health." shining from her hands, a circle of pink formed and moved towards Vincent, then another one formed, then another, then another. Seven circles were moving towards Vincent at this point. The first one connected and splashed pink waves all over him, circle after circle. Vincent was being splashed with these pulses of health. Eventually, with the strength from the pulses, he could fight the aura with his own. He broke free. He was no longer under the control of the Succubus. "Thanks, Abs!" he said, gasping for air.
"Let the shield protect," she chanted again, this time over Vincent, "I purged you from the first effects. That new spell should protect you from any other aura attacks. They pose the biggest threats. We need to handle them."
Just as she finished that sentence, razor-sharp claws came right at her throat, and she ducked just in time. Diedra, the new leader, was noticeably fuming angrily now that her aura had been broken. She lunged at the enchantress, seeking to gain any blow. As she went to lunge one more time, she felt something pulling her leg. She turned around to see Ob holding her leg and getting ready to throw her across the room. She flapped her powerful wings and twirled in the air, watching as Ob was thrown a couple of feet back. "YOU" She spat.
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
She changed her target and started towards Ob. She pulled out a thorny black whip. It dragged along the ground beside her, tearing up the rugs like butter. Ob''s eyes widened; he could not let that thing touch him. He activated his Cloak once again and entered into the shadow background, to hide his presence. This was an odd sensation. He could not see, only feel. It also did not remove him from the physical space, only hide his appearance. What he felt was very powerful. The aura of Diedra reached out to where he once was, noticing he was behind her. He reappeared and kicked her in the back just like he had to those teenage bullies, but this time, it was with maximum force. The Succubus slammed into the wall and grunted in pain; the wall she landed into had shields, some of which had spiked, and she was starting to get cut. This time, Diedra started chanting something, "Be it now or be it later, suffer the curse of a hater." A dark purple mist formed around her, and she was sent flying towards Ob once again. He jumped into the shadows, he was getting used to projecting his senses to help him see and move around. He was getting used to dodging this way. Ob reappeared and kicked her again into another way, but the cloud was following him. It surrounded him, and he began choking; all he could see was purple. The smoke was slowly poisoning him, and he was losing vision. A whip came snapping out of the purple cloud and struck Ob in the leg, leaving deep gashes; he screamed. Blood was now pouring out of his leg while he was still choking.
Ob could feel his health drop rapidly. Ob''s vision was getting more and more blurry the longer he stayed in this haze. He used his Cloak again to disappear into the shadows. He knew the smoke would follow this time, but he had an idea. "Hey, Eclipse, you mind flapping your wings over this purple smoke so I can deal with Diedra?" Without words, Eclipse did just that; as Ob returned, he could finally see the Succubus ready to lash her whip again. As she did, he jumped into the shadows to appear right behind her and let out a huge blue flame, using dragon''s breath. The fire managed to enter Diedra''s cuts and start to burn her from the inside out, just like in the last battle.
She whirled in anger and pain, rage painting her face. She was not going to let this lowly bronze kill her. She had to survive; she had to win. Desperation set in, and she reached inside her bag to pull out a vile; she smashed the glass all over her head and felt the liquid pour out. She began to scream in pain as the cuts and bruises began to close. What were once open wounds are now scars. The scars started to protrude sickly thorns that matched her whip. Diedra smiled a smile that would give Pennywise nightmares, her eyes no longer that sweet purple. They were completely black, her joints now thorns; she started slowly jerking towards Ob, readying her whip.
"What the hell," Ob said, backing away from this nightmarish creature. "What the hell!" Ob said, walking backward, mind reeling. "I definitely can''t punch and kick her anymore. I need a weapon, I need long-range magic attacks, I need something. ANYTHING."
Item: Dark Heart VON said out of nowhere as if he was responding to Ob.
Keystone Item
Legendary
Consume the dark heart to unlock a legendary-level skill to an open skill. You have three skills available. Would you like to use them? Yes/No? Caution: there is a chance this goes to an "undecided" power and skill; once decided, the skill cannot be replaced. Run the risk of getting a skill unrelated to your "undecided." Still use? Yes/No?
"I best not take anything risky right now at this moment; let''s call it a fail-safe," Ob said, denying the item. That last dragon''s breath did not do too much on his manna consumption. Only a quarter was taken away. He had to think and had to think fast.
Eclipse flapped her wings for Ob so he could continue his fight with Deidra. She turned her attention back to her opponent. It was the other Succubus; this Succubus was slow. However, her attacks were powerful. Eclipse was agile for a dragon, but this was a confined space where she could usually fly and do her attacks. She couldn''t escape too high. Frustrated, she had to think of a different strategy. She then remembered she had gotten the ice breath power; she shot ice at the feet of the Succubus. The Succubus began to lose her footing; just then, Eclipse came flying in, smashing her tail into the side of the Succubus and sending her flying into a pillar. She completely split the pillar in two on impact and broke the next two, finally smashing into a wall. Purple blood started trickling out of her mouth and nose. With another blast of ice breath, Eclipse from the Succubus to the wall. With a big breath, she blasted a massive white fireball toward the succubus icicle, completely incinerating it right then and there.
Abigail was getting frustrated, seeing her friends being attacked and knowing she couldn''t do anything about it. "Wait, I can! I think I need to touch them; we have to kill the Succubus, and then the others might be freed!" Abigail yelled.
"Everyone, close your eyes," Eclipse spoke into their heads. She used her solar eclipse ability. The shimmering orange and red grew brighter and brighter like the sun, and then the black scales covered the sun to still have the brightness but intensify like a solar eclipse. The opponents were screaming at how badly their eyes were hurting. They could not see a thing.
Vincent acted as soon as they started screaming. He opened his eyes and began firing arrows at the Diedra monstrosity. The arrows bounced off some of her spikes. "Damn," he swore. He fired three more arrows, aiming to be more precise, each arrow landing in a different spot. One landed in her temple, one in her side, and the other in her thigh. Diedra screamed. The scream of banshees is high pitched and jarring. Diedra was now blind, in pain, and dying fast. She wasn''t sure what happened, but she knew that she was going to lose this fight. It was coming to an end. There was nothing she could do. Just as she began to take another step, a tall man stood in front of her, eyes full of rage; the last thing she saw was a blue fireball being hurled toward her. She was burnt alive.
As Diedra, the final Succubus, lay dead, the Minotaur and the twins start shaking their heads clear. They were clear of that pervasive aura. "Ugh, thank you." The Minotaur said, "They have been controlling us for a few weeks now. Damn, beasties. We''re sorry we attacked you a lot. Thanks for not killing us. We''d love to repay you somehow."
Ob, coughing from the smell of two burnt Succubus, imagined the smell would be like finding rotting roadkill and then burning it in a sauna. "Don''t worry about it. Vincent here shot at his girlfriend because of that aura."
"Thanks for the reminder, Ob," Vincent said sheepishly. While grabbing Abigail''s hand, "You did great." Kissing her on the cheek.
"How were you not affected by the aura?" The black-haired twin asked.
"Now, that''s an expensive secret. Y''all have some safe travels. We must be going." Eclipse interrupted. The Minotaur took the hint, disappointed the black-haired twin didn¡¯t ask anymore questions. Each party shook hands and departed from each other. The other party was limping away, sustaining significant injuries but being alive.
Status: Enemy defeated - Diedra, Leader of the Dark Wings
Reward - 7500 gold pieces
Reward - Succubus wings
Reward - Succubus horns
Reward - Tentacle of the Dark
Enemy Defeated - Succubus
Reward - 3000 gold pieces
Reward - Succubus wings
Reward - Dark Stone
Level Up - Skill: Stalker
Stalker is now level 7. Stalker has advanced to bronze tier. Stalker has unlocked the ability to completely hide in the shadow realm.
Level Up - Skill: Dragon''s Breath
Dragon''s Breath is now level 10
Level Up - Skill: Dragon''s Hide
Dragon''s Hide is now level 6
Level Up - Power: Draconian Ally
Draconian Ally is now level 8
Level Up - Power: Slayer
Slayer is now level 3. Slayer has advanced to bronze tier. Slayer has unlocked the ability to learn about weaknesses off monsters.
Level Up - Ob
Ob is now level 4
34 attribute coins have been added to your pile total coins: 34
"Well, it''s now dark, and everything is closed," Ob told the group after looking over his spoils and notifications. "Maybe we try to find a shop for food and healing stuff, then head back to the cave?"
"Let me heal; it will help me level up." Abigail said, "But yes, food sounds very nice right now." The rest of the group nodded in agreement and set off. As they headed out the door, a familiar voice cried out for them to wait.
"My friends, my friends, I have sent you into a trap. I am in deepest apologies; let me make it up to you with a feast, a feast!" A scared-looking Lani said he knew he had just messed with some mighty people. It might not have been his fault, but he still felt remorse.
Ob looked at the group, most specifically Eclipse; she gave him a slow nod and spoke to him. "I am sure you sense the same as I do. He is no longer under the influence of the Succubus." Ob nodded, confirming that he had sensed the aura of the Succubus; that is how he knew they were walking into a trap. I really need to train; there is so much for me to learn, he thought to himself and Eclipse.
The group agreed to Lani''s proposal; he showed them their room, a large master suite. The suite had three large rooms, the size of a small city studio apartment. A large living room with couches and a large circular dining room table was between the rooms. As the meal was being prepared, Ob went to clean himself off. Abigail had gone to each of the drawn baths and used one of her healing powers to set the water to heal, "let these waters cleanse the wounds of battle." The water glowed teal green like her eyes do when she is in battle.
Ob, still amazed by magic, watched as the gashes on his leg slowly closed and the pain faded away. Ob stared at his leg, which was beginning to heal. He watched as the wounds closed, his skin reformed, and his blood faded. "Wow, this is amazing." He blew some fire into the water to increase the temperature; after all, he could not burn. Ob closed his eyes, took a warm, healing bath, and waited for a hot meal to arrive.
Chapter 9 - Ill Gladly Be Weak
"I''m sorry, Ob. I just can''t do this anymore. For once, be angry, for once be sad, be something besides optimistic and happy all the time!!" a young woman was yelling at Ob. She was pretty and had fair skin, with blond hair falling to her shoulders. She had blue eyes and a soft, raspy voice. She was several inches shorter than Ob, her eyes were puffy, and her nose was red and running.
"What are you even saying right now, Charlotte?" Ob responded evenly.
"I can''t do this anymore. You''re always happy; it''s exhausting. I feel like I can''t say anything negative or down around you. You''ll instantly look for the good side of things."
"I am sorry if I have made you feel like you couldn''t be real. That''s not me; I''ve been tryna help you feel better ''cause you have been in this funk for so long. I am far from happy all the time. You make me feel happy, you make me forget the pain, I feel everyday."
"Well, it didn''t work. Mission failed. I have found someone else, someone who actually treats me how I should be treated. I''m sorry, Ob, but we''re done. How about next girlfriend, you act like this, not after years of being one way, just some advice. I''ll see you later." She turned away from him and left him standing there holding roses.
Ob woke up to someone knocking on his door, "Ob food is here, come on!" Vincent was saying from outside the door.
Ob got out of the tub; he realized he didn''t have a fresh pair of clothes. He only had the ones he had been wearing for the last 4 days, straight without a bath or cleaning. He found something next to the bath that looked like underwear and put it on. To his surprise, they were full pants. He walked out to the dining room table to see Abigail with her hair down and wet. It was long, almost touching her butt. Ob remembered Charlotte, the girl from his dream. That was his ex; she always had her hair up towards the end of their relationship. She knew Ob preferred hair to be down.
Ob shook that thought out of his mind. Approached the massive table of food. He had no idea what was in front of him. Ob hadn''t told the whole team that he was not from this dimension yet. So he wanted to avoid asking what foods were what. Ob learned that they are equivalent to cows in this world.
"What is troubling you, Ob?" Abigail asked, staring at him, just staring at the food.
"I uh," he glanced at Eclipse. She just looked back as if to say this is a decision he must make on his own. He took a deep breath, "I would like to join your party... now wait before you get too excited. You all should know¡"
"That you''re not from this world," Vincent said, cutting him off. "But we''re super honored you were going to tell us."
Ob stared at the two in disbelief. He even heard Eclipse chuckling in her corner. How did they know? Am I that obvious?
"Ob, you are like a reindeer in the street. You look so lost all the time. Yes, I could have believed that you came from a very desolate place, but magic still exists in this world. That is not going to change no matter where you grew up. You are, what, 29 years old? That''s far too old not to know about anything magical," Abigail said, laughing and looking at her new friend with amusement.
"You''re strong as hell," Vincent said in between bites. "So that''s something you got going for you."
"Well, I guess the cats are out of the bag," Ob said. "Wait, y''all have cats, right? You two seem not blown away with another being from out of your world¡" he eyed the couple suspiciously.
Abigail laughed some more, "Yes, we have cats! I imagine we have the same animals as your realm with some more. The magical ones would be here and not where you come from. What is your home called? How did you get here? Are you going back? There have been tales of people who ¡°skip dimensions¡±, no one knows why exactly but you are not the first one."
"Oh, so this is actually steak? Thank goodness!!" Ob replied, diving into the meat. "I''m from Earth; I am going to be honest: I don''t know where it is in relation to here; some things in our myths and legends exist here. I assume that someone came before me and brought the myths as stories. When I got here, I woke up just as a spirit, which is how I killed a wraith; Eclipse or Flaxy killed more wraiths surrounding my physical body. Which was when I met Eclipse for the first time. I would like to go back, at least to say goodbye. Not just die randomly."
"You died?" Abigail asked skeptically.
"That''s what VON said. Many times, actually. I truly don''t know much else, but I do keep having dreams of my past."
"You''ve been here for four days, almost five¡ you have a lot to learn." Abigail said, excited to have a pupil to impart all her knowledge to. "I think we should get you to a big city. Although going with Eclipse could be tricky."
"I can go into the soul home. I will need a long rest as I advance to the next levels. After that battle, I can feel the power increase. A soul home will decrease the length of rest." Eclipse said sleepily like she was ready for a long nap.
"Why do you need to rest, but I don''t?" Ob asked.
"You do." Both Abigail and Eclipse said, Abigail smiling at her other new friend. Was she becoming a friend of dragons, too? She couldn''t deny how badass Eclipse was and how loyal and friendly too. If all dragons were like her, perhaps she would really like it. "As I mentioned, the fundamental differences between dragons and normags?"
"I do," Ob said.
"Well, when all magical beings or beings with magic potential level up, their magic has to grow in order that we can add the depths of your manna pool, strength, and additional magic. Being a primarily magical being requires a lot of growing because my capacity is already so high. This is why the more levels I gain in one sitting and the higher level I get, the longer I''ll need rest. Meaning it would be wise to spend those days training and not adventuring without me.
You Ob are different. You are both 100% physical and magical; you are in part Celestine. Your resting time will be cut dramatically less. Your body naturally adapts to the surroundings." Eclipse finished.
"Not yet," Ob said. ¡°I am not fully a celestine, last time I checked I was slowly progressing. What is a Celestine?¡±
"A celestine. It is a being from other dimensions; they are magical and physical in nature. Their magic comes from the cosmic realm." Abigail explained, "Celestines have the largest magical potential, barring full magical beings like dragons. Either you were reborn as a Celestine, or you always had the magical potential, but being born in a place, as you say, magically desolate would force your magic inert; your death had to be an¡" She paused, searching for the right word "awakening, of your magical potential, began. Honestly you being a celestine is rarer than being from another dimension, the two go hand in hand. Not every dimension skipper is a Celestine but every celestine is a dimension skipper."
"That doesn¡¯t help me though because I am progressing to it. I wasn¡¯t born fully as one, I came here human, I am still human, somewhat. But let me get this straight, had I just woken up. I wouldn''t be a Celestine, but the fact that I had to search for my body makes me stronger?" Ob questioned.
"Well, no. Not exactly. Your potential came from when you were born." Eclipse stated.
"What do you mean¡ search for your body?" Abigail and Vincent asked together
Ob told the group how he went to bed like every other night in his home world. He told them about his adventures in the place where he was attacked by wraiths and how a dragon killed all the wraiths swarming his body. He went into as much detail as possible, mainly for Abigail''s benefit. The couple looked at Ob with amazement; they had heard stories of people from other dimensions coming to their world but never met one in person, nor did they expect to. Now a real-life Celestine was in front of Abigail, was her friend, and had fought alongside her. She could not believe her luck.
Breaking from awe, Abigail asked, "Do you still want to join our party?"
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"If y''all wouldn''t mind having me." Ob responded, "We fought well together. I don''t know if our powers work well together, but I am sure we can find some cohesion."
"We did, didn''t we!" Vincent said, beaming with pride.
Ob chuckled, "I did think I was going to die in that purple smoke cloud." Suddenly, he remembered getting loot from the succubus they killed, "I almost forgot about these. Hmm, I wonder if there is a way that I can share my UI ability with y''all?" Ob wondered aloud.
Help?
Any member of your party may have limited access to VON. As VON levels up, your party members may have more access. You have the ability to restrict a party member''s access at your own will.
"Got it," Ob said, "Okay, so once I join your party, you''ll have some access to VON, and you can see what these item descriptions are, and we can decide what to do with them."
"Oh, perfect," Vincent said, remembering that he wanted them to view his item from his grandma. "How are you going to give us access? To register a party, we have to go to the Crusader Federation, and we are not close to a big city?" A voice started speaking loudly in Vincent and Abigail''s heads.
You have been invited to join Ob Jones'' party. Would you like to join? Yes/No?
"What the hell is that?" Vincent asked, shaking his head clear of the loud noise.
"That was VON; he''s my narrator and tells me stuff," Ob responded. Ob pulled out the items, and the team listened to VON''s identification.
Item: Tentacle of the Dark
Weapon
Rare
A whip from a hell-bound kraken. The tentacle possesses magical potential along with long toxic spikes. It can be used as a conduit or as a weapon.
Item: Dark Stone
Keystone Item
Uncommon
Use this item to unlock a skill related to the darkness. Use? Yes/No?
Ob declined.
Item: Succubus Wings
Craftable
Uncommon
Wings of a vanquished succubus use their wings to craft into usable items.
Item: Succubus Horns
Craftable
Uncommon
Horns of a vanquished succubus use their horns to craft into usable items.
"That tentacle is interesting," Abigail said after listening to the last item, "I don''t think any of us can really have any benefit from it, but it is useful for some money, I bet."
"Or it could be traded for something more useful for us," Vincent added.
"Just so. Why did you decline the dark stone? You still have some skills to unlock?" Abigail asked Ob.
"I don''t like the thought of having dark magical powers." Ob said thoughtfully, "I have this other item from the first succubus. It is a dark heart, similar to the dark stone but much rarer. It offered the same and asked to be used during the battle."
Abigail''s face fell dark and serious, "You did not use it, did you?" She asked, none of her usual joy for education in her voice.
"No," Ob responded, "I just said I don''t like the thought of anything dark in my powersets."
"Good, very good." She responded, now pacing and muttering to herself. "That is a legendary item. That is a curse, Ob. It turns the consumer into a practitioner of the dark arts 10/10 times. If you have a good and pure heart, that is how you taint it."
"The hydra¡" Ob began to realize, "The hydra from your story, Abigail, was it given the dark heart?"
"I do not know," She said, shaking her head, "I am unaware of beings giving their soul-link items to use at all; that must be unusual. If the demi-god did, though, then it is very plausible that is what caused the Hydra to lose their entire control."
"It can be done; I have already given an item to Eclipse. You said dragons have a bad rep, right?" Ob asked.
"Rep? I do not know this word; I lost the translation. You have already given something to Eclipse?? What did you give her?" Abigail said, concerned in her voice.
"Er, reputation; what if there is someone who is giving the powerful dragons these items to turn them evil and not good? I gave her an ice stone; it gave her ice breath." Ob stated calmly as if it were no big deal.
"That is a thought Ob. You must remember this conflict with dragons did not appear overnight in thin air. It has been nearly three millennia of fighting and conflict. The example I gave you was ONE of the countless terrors some dragons have been a part of." Ob noticed how confidently she said something. Was Abigail becoming okay with dragons? "Although," she said, interrupting his thoughts, "your heart is in the right place; you are a newborn. You have yet to learn what you are talking about.
An ice stone is a rare item. You gave your ice stone, a rare item, to your soul-link partner, less than how many days knowing each other?"
"You''re right, I''m sorry. I come from a place where dragons don''t exist, and in places they do, they are hated; I get lost in the one I know and have as a friend, which is incredible." Ob reluctantly said, "Yes, I did; she had skills to unlock, too. It''s a give-and-take relationship; this was day 1. I''m not going to like the answer to this question... Are succubus considered monsters or a race?"
"Both," Vincent chimed in, "A Succubus is a demon classified as a monster. They are also classified as their own race, as demons can take on many forms. The hell realm or dimension or world, whatever you want to call, is large and vast, full of many species, creatures, races, you name it."
"Can they join any federation?" Ob asked, starting to feel guilty.
"Well, that is complicated. The short is not really. Due to their dual classifications, monster/race demons have a hard time getting into any federation; they do not want evil taintin their names after all. Except for Maverick, they truly only care about power; well, at least, that is how it is now. I digress. The Crusaders won''t care because it''s corrupt, as most large-standing government bodies are. This is why they were able to have a team.
What makes it even more complicated is that they are beings of magic, much like dragons, so they cannot have that third powerset unlocked; they don''t even have powers; their skills are limited to their race, in their case species. Why.. what''s the matter?"
While Vincent was explaining, Ob had put his hand on his head on the dining room table where they were all sitting. "I killed someone. Another living being, I killed it. What is wrong with me?" Ob said into his hands.
"Ob. Did you just eat meat?" Vincent asked, annoyance in his tone, "Yeah, you did." Not allowing him to respond, "You sit here eating a dead animal that someone went out and killed, brought back, butchered and cooked it, and you ate it with glee. No remorse. Yet you sit here sulking over killing something that was out to kill you first?"
"That''s different, Vincent, and you know it."
"Oh, do I now? I know that it is different?" Volume raising, "There are many things in this world that will kill you without batting an eye. Magical things, much worse than what you have experienced! If you are going to hesitate for a millisecond because you want to spare their lives, then you should not join our party. That makes you weak, and we cannot afford weakness!"
"I may not show remorse for the food that I eat, but I am grateful and say grace every time I eat," Ob responded coldly. The aura in the room shifted; it became heavy and hostile. Abigail looked up at Ob. She saw black, orange, and red start to radiate out of him; it was as if she physically saw the aura around him manifest, which should not be possible. Aura is a very spiritual expression that should not be visible in this physical reality. "Weakness, you call it weakness. Then why did you not kill the twins and the Minotaur? Why did you let them go? You had a shot to kill one of them, but you pinned his shoulder instead? You sit here and talk to me about weakness when I did the killing. Twice, two times, I have had succubus eyes staring at me right before I ended them. Right before their existence is no more. If wanting to spare the life of someone or something makes me weak and killing without remorse makes you strong, then I''ll gladly be weak." The aura grew more volatile, pressing down on everything around it. Eclipse watched in awe; this aura felt like a being with immense power who remained neutral and was trapped behind a cage, always on a balance beam. It felt like it could go from chaos to purity instantly or vice versa. It was an immense power but delicate, like an egg. She supposed this is how Ob felt back in his home world but without the power. She felt justice and balance prevailing.
Ob never seemed like a guy who would go too far when things went wrong. She was right. Ob constantly kept things in. When his birth parents gave him away, Ob never expressed how much that hurt, and when none of his blood relatives accepted him to take care of him, Ob pushed that down. When he was finally adopted, all of that came out in the form of hard work and a lot of tears. He always felt like the world was full of people who were slighting him, wanting to piss him off any moment they could. Then when Charlotte, his first love, left him for not feeling, for not feeling the pain, hardships, and emotions he had been feeling his entire life. Only for her to leave him completely alone. Cold break, no remorse gone. Ob hadn''t lost it then. It was when he turned 18, and his parents asked him to start paying rent when they hadn''t asked his older siblings with children too. With them saying, "How could we possibly make our kids pay?" Even then, he did not lose it. He simply backed his bags and left.
Ob was excited to have a fresh start. He was excited that he had all this power and all this potential. A brand new canvas was there for him to start painting his own life. Yet here he was, constantly fighting people who were still treating him not much different than Earth. Yes, the succubus sucked, and they deserved to die; it didn''t mean he had to like killing them. It doesn''t mean he must always be okay with killing things; it''s a balance. It is always a balance. In Ob''s mind, balancing is hard; it takes strength and courage. Weakness is when you go all one way or all the other, refusing to put in the effort to be wrong, to know that you are not always on the right side.
Ob realized his aura was out of control with a controlling breath. He walked back into his room. Leaving the trio to sit in what just happened.
Chapter 10 - Cotton Candy
Abigail looked at Vincent. Her boyfriend''s face was bloodshot red, and he was sitting there like he had just seen a ghost. She had never felt an aura that strong from anyone short of Adamantium. It was clear that his spiritual being was also just as strong as his physical. She wasn''t sure what to say in this situation, if there was anything she could even say that would make anyone feel better. She felt helpless. She walked over to Vincent and tried to comfort him in the best way.
"I shouldn''t have gotten so frustrated with him." Vincent said, voice shaking, "I got so offended. I felt as if he was attacking all hunters for being soulless, without remorse for the dead."
"Did you notice he gave thanks for the food before eating it?" Abigail asked.
Vincent''s eyes went wide even more¡ "Damn. No"
Vincent got up to go towards Ob''s room. He wanted to apologize. He felt awful.
"You won''t find him in there," Eclipse said, not looking at them. "He left."
Ob needed some air. They were on the second floor of the building. Ob guessed that it was a 20 foot jump down. He looked and decided to try anyway; he did pole vault in college, he figured. He''d be fine. Ob jumps out the window with a free fall; as he gets close to the ground, he tucks and rolls, like he has seen people performing parkour have done, feeling nothing. "Hmm, well, that was pretty damn cool." He said to himself, grinning like a little kid, "maybe I should try a superhero landing next time."
He stood looking at the window he just jumped out of. He had been so busy he had not even taken the time to observe the buildings. They were amazing. They all looked like gothic churches in European countries. The building that he lept from was graphite gray. It had some stained glass with two tall spirals scratching the sky. Ob''s eyes went wide. So much of his time here, in this world, had been spent fighting or fleeing. He was told that the world is full of beauty and wonder. All he had seen was violence and gore and assholes.
He looked at his fists. Rotating them back and forth and staring at them. Feeling the manna surge through his knuckles, wow, he thought, amazed at his power. This feels incredible. Ob thought the feeling was like how your body feels after a good stretch, but it was more intense. It felt powerful; it felt like small sparks coursing through his veins as he looked at his arms, looking at the veins popping out of his arms; he began to wonder what he looked like.
Ob left the alley that he had landed in and made for a shop. He wanted to get new clothes. He wanted a weapon. I need a weapon. Punching people is not going to be sustainable in the long term, especially with Diedra. She grew to that wild monstrosity and I couldn''t get close to kicking or punching, Ob thought to himself. He didn''t like talking to himself, but he oddly found it calming after all that he had gone through.
Entering the main avenue of this tiny little town, Ob was struck with the smell of food, incense, and body odor. A strange combination for sure, but it felt comforting. Ob walked up to this vendor who was selling what looked to be smoothies. "Ay, what can I do fer ya traveler?" the vendor said.
"Hey, whatcha selling?" Ob asked.
"Ay, I sell juices made from these fruits here; there is a local farmer round her that drops off some of these fresh fruits." the vendor continued.
¡°Sounds, good. Hey man, what''s your name? I''m Ob," he said, offering his hand to shake. "I''ll take what the town''s favorite is. Mind if I watch how you do it?"
"Ay, you must be a very distant traveler. Most people don''t talk to us like that, ya see. Ay, the name''s Loiven," Loiven said, shaking Ob''s muscular hand. "The town''s favorite is this here. It''s got a sweetness to it but a lot of good stuff in there ta make ya grow big in strong, although ye don''t need," He said, shaking his head and chuckling. He noticed the fruit Loiven pulled out looked very similar to the guava. He watched as Loiven pulled out a giant long sword and cut the guava looking fruit in half and watched him blow ice over the guava looking fruit half. Turning the edible part to an icy consistency. Loiven then pulls out a mixture of spices and pours them onto half of the guava looking fruit. Loiven then threw the whole thing into the air once again, blowing the juice concoction. As it was coming back down, he pulled out a big bowl and smashed the frozen juice concoction.
¡°Ay, here ya go Ob¡± Loiven said. Ob looked at the drink and got excited.
"How much do I owe ya?" Ob asked, taking a sip of the frozen drink.
"Ay, on the house Ob the traveler, thanks for being so kind," Loiven said with a genuine smile.
Ob accepted the complimentary drink, looked at the tip jar, and added 100 gold pieces. He nodded his head and walked off, continuing down the main avenue. As he continued walking down, he came upon a shop. The window display had many weapons. He entered the store.
"Oh, hello," an elderly woman''s voice said as Ob entered the shop. "How may I be of assistance?"
"Hi, ma''am. I''m Ob," Ob responded with a gentle smile, "I am looking for a weapon that would match my powerset."
"Nice to meet you, Ob; my name is Janice. You must be a bit more cautious mentioning your powerset. It would get people to look into you more carefully, Draconian."
Ob''s eyes grew wide, and he felt the manna in his body start to head down into his belly. He was getting ready for a fight, another fight. He was not ready for another one, not against this old woman. Janice was small, with cloud-white hair; she had wrinkles all over and walked with a slow limp.
"Relax, Ob. I am not your enemy. I saw your battle with the succubus that one night. You and your dragon fight with such passion and love. Your connection is unique. It is one that I think could change the world to not be so afraid of these beautiful creatures. But be warned I am not everyone."
"Thank you," Ob said respectfully. "I will be more cautious, I hope to change the world, but first, I have to be able to protect myself."
"Come closer, please grab my hands." She takes Ob''s hands and starts touching his palms. Her eyes start glowing solid white to match her hair. "Your journey has been hard getting here. I sense the pain in your aura. Ah yes, there it is. I think I have the perfect weapon for you, young Draconian." As she let go of Ob''s hands, her eyes returned to her gray color. She turned right away and headed to the back.
Ob kept searching the weapon''s shop while Janice went to the back. He peered at swords, bows, wands, and staves; all of the weapons were so cool. He felt that they were straight out of the video games that he used to play when he was younger. He absent-mindedly thought of home; he wondered if anyone missed him, if Charlotte regretted what she did if his adopted parents even cared. What was happening? What would happen if he went home? Would he keep his powers?
He rubbed his face and felt the stubble. This was so different. He didn''t feel the same; he felt like his core was the same, but everything else was much different. Looking around the store, he found a mirror; nervously, he walked over to it. As he looked into the mirror, he saw a rugged face looking back at him. His eyes he looked at his eyes. They looked like mini solar eclipses. They were beautiful, he thought. They were calming. It was all about balance; the moon had to be the exact distance to cover the sun while the sun was in the perfect position. It takes precision. He felt as if his eyes were reflective of his entire being. Something so beautiful but rare, something so natural but dangerous to look at. "I don''t mind the stubble now that I can see it. It makes me look older and stronger?"
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Here we are," Janice said, interrupting his thoughts, "I think this is perfect for you." She presented Ob with this long box. The box was probably 4 feet long. It had gold trim with a dark gray interior with some intricate designs mixed in. "This is a scythe of the Ryagnor clan. They were once a powerful clan of draconians. They were adept in magic and in weapon combat. This Scythe can perform both magical attacks and well, physical."
Ob''s jaw dropped. The Scythe was beautiful. The bottom of the Scythe had a crescent blade. The main blade was platinum with a golden trim. The blade was extremely sharp and could be used for a fair amount of cutting damage. The handle of the staff was beautiful as well. It was a rod made of dark orange and shimmering onyx, dark and orange, that matched him and Eclipse. The scythe blade itself was a powerhouse. It was made out of a Damascus mixture of obsidian, platinum, and onyx; it came out to be jet black. Sturdy, durable, lethal, and magical. The blades hummed. Three separate blades looked like a pointed dragon''s claw. The blade bodies, each individual stacked on top of each other, would all converge as it got closer to the point to form one sharp point, capable of poking an eye out and slashing like three dragon claws.
"This Scythe," Janice continued her explanation, "was built with a staff bottom and staff pole, which allows the magical properties to be increased. It adapts to the wielder''s powerset. It is unique that way."
"I-I don''t know what to say; it''s perfect," Ob could barely get the words out. "How much?"
"For you Ob, 5000 gold pieces, this is a bondable item." Ob gawked at the price. He had yet to learn exactly how currency went, but he remembered from Eclipse that 1500 was usually a year''s worth of wages for ordinary folk. He needed a weapon, though, and he had the money. He accepted and handed the money over.
Item: Scythe of the Ryagnor Clan
Bondable Weapon
Legendary
Crafted by the smiths and magicians of the ancient Ryagnor clan, this Scythe is deadly in power and magic. The Scythe can be named and bonded to a user''s aura in order to match its abilities to the abilities and powersets of the wielder. Would you like to bond? Yes/No?
Yes.
The bonding process has begun. Would you like to name Scythe of the Ryagnor Clan? Yes/No? This option can be updated later.
"Yes, Hades." Ob said, loving how it reminded him of death and his love for Greek mythology, which made the choice simple.
Hades has been bonded to Ob Jones. Hades has a status update to view.
Weapon: Hades
Bondable Weapon
Hades has adapted to Ob Jones.
Hades now has the power to release the fire of a dragon.
Hades now has the power to deal damage scaled up to monsters or enemies in the wielder''s tier or higher.
Insufficient Soul Manipulation level to use spiritual attack ability of Hades.
When wielded, Hades adds +5 strength +5 Manna.
Ob couldn''t speak. This was an amazing weapon. He wondered if his other skills would open up more powers for Hades. He picked it up. It was very heavy. It had to weigh close to 100 pounds. Janice showed him that he could use his aura and soul to reduce the weight and even make it smaller so that he could put it in a sheath across his back.
Ob thanked Janice for the weapon of all weapons. She thanked him for the sale while reminding him of her warning. Not everyone was a supporter of draconians.
Ob walks out of the store and continues down the main avenue, looking for a clothes and armor shop. He figured he would need more than one set of tunics. He hadn''t asked Abigail, but he assumed the tunics were all magically enforced to clean and repair themselves, or at least some of them. Ob liked his dragon tunic, but he wanted something less draconian.
He stumbled upon an armor shop. It looked like it was for heavy-duty armor. Hoping that there were some tunics for more agile types. As he walked into the store, this was the first store that had multiple people in it. Two tall, beautiful women turned their heads to see him walk in. They looked him up and down as if they were searching to find out why this man was near them.
"Sorry, sweety." One of the tall women started to say, "Draconians are not welcomed here. Go find patronage someplace else."
Ob ignored the rudeness and stupidity he felt from them. He capitulated and turned to walk out. The same woman started laughing, "I''m joking. I''m joking. I don''t even know if you are draconian, just your tunic." She was still laughing. "What are you looking for, friend." The two women reminded him of the Amazon women. They were towing over Ob. They both had bronze skin and bronze eyes. Their hair was sun-kissed brown. The one who spoke had her hair long and down in a practical ponytail. The other one had her hair up in a bun. Ob was not used to being shorter than most people, let alone women.
"More tunics, "he said with a serious face. The two women doubled over in laughter, clearly impressed with this young man. The other one smiled a smile that was genuine from ear to ear. "I''m Ob," he offered to the store clerk, who was enamored by the dashing woman.
"Reginald," the skinny man said in an accent that was very butler-like, taking Ob''s hand in his and shaking it. "How may I help you, Ob?"
Before answering, he turned to the two women and gave a respectful nod, knowing that they knew his name now but did not offer theirs. The two looked back at him and said their goodbyes to Reginald. Then walked out without another word.
"Amazing aren''t they?" Reginald asked.
"I''m looking for a few more outfits; all I have right now is this tunic, and well, it doesn''t get too much love." Ob replied.
Reginald laughed, "You are right there, sir; Dragon tunics are great armor and very sleek. However, they are not loved by most people. I''ll tell you what, they provide ideal bonuses, maybe I can make them into different clothes that are less draconian but keep the same bonuses?"
"That would be great," Ob said gratefully, "Any other suggestions you have for someone who is new in the magical arts? Armor or outfit wise?"
"Hmmm," Reginald thought carefully, "You''ll want to have some formal wear if you go to big cities; they are more¡ strict than these small towns you happen upon surrounding them. How about this, I''ll grab your measurements, and you come back in two days, and I''ll have your new dragon armor, formal attire, and additional armor?"
"Sounds good, I''ll buy one more set of tunics just so I can leave here clothed," Ob said with laughter, "How much will all of that cost?"
"Of course, of course, decency is key," Reginald chuckled, "that''ll be a total of 600 gold pieces. You can pay at the end if you''d like."
Ob pulled out the amount of gold he needed and handed it to Reginald, "I got it here, thanks boss! I appreciate you." He shook the tailor''s hand and walked out.
After having felt like he had a successful day of shopping, he checked in with himself emotionally, "I''m feeling better. A little guilty as well, I shouldn''t have reacted so harshly. I need to apologize. I am feeling a lot more. Balanced." He started to head back to the inn they were staying at. The sun was starting to set, and the sky looked like a mix of cotton candy on fire; it was breathtaking. Ob stopped walking and just stared at the setting sun. He took a really deep breath in, slowly exhaling. Whatever happened to him on Earth, he was positive being here had slowed his life down, and he loved it. No matter how annoying the creatures here were, how hideous some monsters were, or how rude some people could be. This world, his new residence, was still beautiful, and he had only seen one small town. "There is a great big world out there, I am stoked to see the whole thing." He continued his walk and found the inn.
Ob walked into the room to see the trio in almost the exact same spot as when he had left them.
Chapter 11 - Dont Let It Put You in the Ground
Vincent stood up when he heard the door creek open. He looked at Ob with apologetic eyes. "Hey, um," he began to say with nervousness plaguing his voice.
"I am sorry too, big guy." Ob apologized in response. Walking up to him and giving him a firm handshake.
Abigail''s eyes went wide with shock. Did Ob just apologize for something that Vincent did? Why?
"I shouldn''t have stormed off like that or lost my cool. I''m better than that." Ob continued.
"No," Vincent said, "I shouldn''t have been so aggressive. I was offended as a hunter about the thought of killing being seen as evil. Being a hunter, a killer, meant that in your eyes I was wrong that something was wrong with me. I failed to see your perspective from where you come from."
"Thank you. Killing is very illegal where I am from, yet there are wars. I wasn''t saying you were wrong at all. I was asking myself why was it so easy? That''s what I meant when I asked what was wrong with me." Ob responded," I know this world has different rules, but it doesn''t mean I have to like them or be okay with killing. But if it is kill or be killed, I will always, without hesitation, choose the former." Vincent stared back at Ob with understanding and slowly nodded. He was starting to understand Ob; he was starting to recognize the toughness he truly displayed. Vincent began questioning his decisions. Was he masking weakness with strength? Did killing something without remorse truly make him tough, or was that just a facade?
Eclipse spoke up, "good. Don''t let this world turn you hard. But don''t let it put you in the ground either. It''s a delicate balance Ob. Now, tell us what you were up to."
Ob told the group everything. How he met Loiven, Janice, and Reginald. He told them that he would have to go back to Reginald in a couple days'' time for the rest of his gear. He also told them how much he spent, and Abigail was not pleased. She began to lecture him on how important it was to save money; not every town was going to have someone so generous to let them stay for a few nights for free. Ob interrupted her lecture by showing them his new Scythe.
"Whoa." Vincent breathed out slowly. He walked over to the Scythe and touched it, "You named it Hades? That''s a great name, but why that?"
"There is a story in my world of a god who was the king of the underworld," Ob stated, "the king of the dead. He has been depicted in many different ways, but one of them is with a scythe. The Scythe has been known as a symbol of death, and I aim to maintain that symbolism," Ob said with a big smirk.
"At first Ob," Abigail started saying, "I thought you got ripped off for the weapon, 5000 gold pieces for anything is very expensive. I think, however, that the woman."
"Janice," Ob interrupted.
"Right¡ Janice," She said, narrowing her eyes at him, "did you a massive favor? This is an awesome weapon. It matches your powerset perfectly; the fact that it adapts, just like you, is quite beneficial."
"Yeah, she knew I was a Draconian, which I am not sure how, and said that this weapon would be perfect for me, and boy, was she right. I love that I can perform long range attacks while also amplifying my physical attacks too. This would help me bigtime against monsters that would be like Diedra." Ob said.
"That does not surprise me that she knew that. A lot of shopkeepers
have the ability to read the abilities of their customers so that they can provide the best services to them," Abigail added.
"Right, magic," Ob thought out loud. "Speaking of magic.. I ran into these tall bronze women at Reginald''s. They didn''t offer their names."
"Did they look beautiful and vicious at the same time?" Vincent asked, "Ouch." Abigail had punched him playfully for saying other women were beautiful.
"Yes, yes, they were." Ob responded.
This time, Abigail answered, "Those were Rambonian warriors. They are an all women tribe, they claim to be descendants of some god. They act like it too. That makes sense that they didn''t tell you their names, they probably deemed you unworthy."
"That''s super dumb and very elitist!" Ob grunted.
Abigail chuckled, "no arguments here. They know your name Ob, that will be interesting to see how things unfold with them. Pay them no mind though we have to get Eclipse into her new soul-home. We shall also start training."
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
"That would be ideal, to get that process started," Eclipse said.
"Okay, anyone know how to use that item?" Ob asked. Everyone shook their heads, "thought so." Ob felt a profound sensation in his core, his soul. He felt like it was a door being opened inside of him. As if there was someone who had been waiting for this to happen, he concentrated harder, forcing his senses inward. Almost falling over, he took a seat and started to get in a meditative pose.
Breathe, he told himself, just breathe. Focus. Focus on your senses, focus on your body, focus on that feeling. Feel that feeling. Breathe. Feel. Breathe. He would say this over and over to himself out loud. Abigail looked on with utter amazement. Vincent stared at Ob like he was crazy.
Ob could feel that door change into something. A portal? Suddenly, a void appeared; it looked like a wormhole, and a solar eclipse merged into one. Eclipse herself looked at this strange thing in front of her. She felt the presence of Ob and began to walk in. She entered the wormhole and saw that it was a realm just like the one she had met, Ob. It reminded her of home. There were constellations, moons, and suns everywhere. It was midnight blue in one area and sky blue in another. She felt like she could change it at her will, so she did. The sky changed to a clear sky blue. The air got warmer around her, and the sun was high in the sky. It was a warm sun that felt close but not too close to be unbearingly hot. There was a slight breeze that made the tall grass she lay in rustle slightly. Next to the tall grass was a bubbling brook; it was small but had a gentle water-falling sound that was relaxing. The smell was that of the fresh brook, clean, crisp air that would be constantly replacing any stagnant air because of the breeze. She had chosen a summer solstice in a mild climate, the longest day of the year but not too hot.
She felt a shimmer and saw Ob approaching. He was gazing at everything. He looked calm, she noticed. "Pretty peaceful place you have created here," Ob said in an almost whisper. As if something were sleeping, he did not want to disturb.
"Indeed, but this is all your doing," she replied. "You created a home that was like mine back from my birthplace, where I could change the astrological event to match whatever mood. Thank you, Ob. It means a lot. I will gladly stay here and will rest exceptionally well.
What do I appear as on you?"
"My eyes. They turned into two mini white suns," Ob responded. He knew that a soul-home provided a space for a soul-link it would make alterations to one''s appearance while they were in the home. The placement was always random, and the change was always temporary. Ob''s eyes lost the moon. They were just two white suns with an iris in the middle, smaller, much smaller. "So my eyes are white now, that''s cool. Temporary, of course, but still cool. I''ll leave you to it. Rest up Eclipse. Oh, and thanks for having my back the other day. You really helped killing them wouldn''t have done without you." Ob said, giving his new friend a nice hug before turning out.
As Ob was heading out, Eclipsed replied very softly, "Thanks for being the best. I am very grateful for you partner."
Ob Jones Level up
Soul manipulation level is now 3
Soul manipulation has gained the skill soul shield. Use your soul''s strength to defend against soul attacks. Your soul home has an increased capacity to 2.
As Ob stepped through his teleportation ring from his soul, he read the notification of leveling up. He thought to himself how cool it was that he could have his friend live in his soul without people thinking he was a Draconian.
"First things first is we need to sell those dark items you have. You need to get the rest of your powerset. We''ll have to come with you because we can help bring you cohesion with the right Keystones," Abigail said confidently. "We''ll be looking for stones that have to do with increased damage dealing related to your slayer. Nothing dark, I''m afraid that could turn you into a warlock."
"What about a light keystone item or mystic?" Vincent asked
"Mystic would be ideal, but even a mystic stone is not going to be easy to find or buy," Abigail wondered out loud.
"What does mystic provide?" Ob asked, losing track of the conversation.
"It could help you be a spell cast, tap into your celestine power a bit more, or give you a random skill," Vincent said.
"Most importantly it would compliment your skill to enter the shadows." Abigail said, "your skills, if unlocked by a decent rarity keystone, should become complimentary of each other." She explained.
"Oh hey, I forgot," Ob said with excitement.
"Yes?" Abigail asked quizzically
"What''s a spell casters guide?" Ob asked, taking out the item to show the couple.
"An uncommon item that allows the user to gain a skill related to spell casting," Abigail began replying, "The type is unknown, but the skill won''t be as complimentary as a rarer item. Spell casting guides are fine for wizards, mages, or warlocks, even some witches get a kick out of it. But this is not helpful for you. It''s too random, and we don''t want to change it if we don''t have to."
"That''s another item you could sell for a pretty gold piece, too, finding the right buyer," Vincent added.
"Just so." Abigail nodded in agreement.
"Well while the day is still young, let''s go shopping before it''s too dark and everyone is closed." Ob said, walking out the door.
"He''s so eager to be better. He''s so eager to learn and grow in strength. We have to steer him clear of anything dark magic." Abigail said to Vincent, watching their excited friend leave. "We have a unique opportunity, Vin. We can help him keep balanced."
"I agree, I think it''ll be good for him to have true friends. Let''s be that for him," he said, kissing his girlfriend on the cheek, then followed Ob out the door.
Chapter 12 - Strange Man
Abigail followed the boys out to the main avenue. They were looking for a trades hall. "A trades hall will be full of people searching for different items that they could potentially purchase or use in their crusading," Abigail explained to Ob as they walked down the street. "It is kind of a crazy place full of loud people who are typically looking to be shady."
"Trades halls are notorious for scammers to live in; it''s a place where someone can easily be scammed out of thousands of gold," Vincent added as if he was someone who had been scammed before.
"Just so. We will have to proceed with caution, especially with an item as rare as a dark heart." Abigail said in agreement.
The trio headed down the bustling street. It was much busier than when Ob was out just a couple hours prior. Street vendors sold jewelry, spell books, food, drinks, and so much more. It felt like a medieval bazaar with magic. Ob looked around at all the different kinds of species interacting with each other. He saw humans, elves, orcs, and some people who looked like a cross-breed of animals and humans. He wondered how many years it took for there to be such civility amongst all these people.
"Hey guys," Ob said, asking the two, "I see so many people acting innocently with each other despite being different species. Has it always been like this?"
Abigail chuckled. "Of course. Just because someone looks different or grew up in a different place doesn''t mean that they are not still worthy of being treated fairly or the same."
"That''s not to say that there are some people who believe they have the superior species and want to assert that." Vincent added, "But you have to understand that here, crusading reigns. A well-balanced crusading team has a mixture of species. The best teams in our history are usually made of three of four unique species in a team of 6; the ones who don''t make it big are the ones who exclude. Abs and I grew up in the same kingdom, and yes, her family were the rulers. They are rare just as rare as human rulers."
"Why do you ask?" Abigail said, looking back at Ob.
"Where I come from, people do a lot worse to each other. We are all human but are different races, let alone species. Elves don''t exist. Honestly, no other humanoid being exists outside of us. We have had massive wars because one race thought they were superior to others. We have had wars to free slaves... It''s ugly." Ob said all of this to them without making eye contact. He was looking forward. Focusing so hard on the horizon, it was as if staring at it for this long would make things better back home.
Abigail stopped in her tracks; she turned to Ob and gave him a hug. "I am sorry, Ob. I am beginning to understand why you are the way you are. Thank you for sharing," she whispered into his ear. Ob was shocked by the hug but hugged her back. Vincent stood watching the two. Vincent had known Abigail for a long time. She would do great if she chose to follow in her dad''s footsteps and be the leader of their kingdom. She was someone who cared deeply for people. She was an empath. Many times, he had seen her step in and go after someone for treating someone innocent poorly. It made sense why she felt for Ob, and he did, too. It was clear that Ob was a part of the race that was treated poorly; otherwise, his question would have been phrased differently. He spoke of the species in a way that was exciting and shocking at the same time; Vincent also caught a hint of relief.
"Ob," Vincent began to speak.
"Yessir?" Ob responded, letting go of Abigail, and began wiping his eyes.
"I am sorry if how I reacted earlier was similar to how you have been treated before," Vincent said sincerely, bowing his head.
"No worries, bro. I appreciate your apology. I have to also be good about controlling myself. I brought my past into that situation and took it out on ya. I apologize, too," Ob said, returning the bow with a nod. They looked at each other, the three of them, all understanding each other a little better now.
They approached this building with a pair of hands shaking each other as the logo above the double doors. The building was graphite with gold trim around the outside and had a tall, pointy roof. The windows were built with vertical white birch wood slats. They had no glass; they were always open. Wind could rush through the vertical slats. The roof lining was also gold trim. They walked up two steps and stepped onto a porch, which was held up by two graphite pillars, the top and bottom of which were solid gold. Ob looked at the trades hall with wide eyes; he thought about how every building was so great to look at. He wondered if there were some sort of magical construction workers in this world.
As soon as they crossed the threshold to enter the jobs hall, Ob felt like he walked into a wall of heat. It smelt awful. A mixture of a zoo and booze, he thought. He saw so many people, species, and creatures all yelling and screaming at each other. Through the chaos of the middle, Ob spotted a large circular pillar; at the pillar''s base were clerks. The clerks were calmly listening to the customers easily. Abigail looked at Ob and wondered if there was a way that they could communicate.
Ob tried to use dragon speak to his party.
"Does this work?" Nothing. Ob tried to focus on entering the minds of Abigail and Vincent. "Test #2, here we go." They stared back at him with blank expressions. This time, Ob tried to channel the internal feeling of manna and force it into his mind. Next, he thought about his interactions with Eclipse; the link made things easy, but he could feel something faint that was similar. He focused on that feeling and searched for it with his new friends.
"Third time''s the charm?" Ob said, closing his eyes as if looking was the reason that it didn''t work before.
"We hear you, Ob," a woman''s voice entered his head. Success! He had used dragon speak successfully. He couldn''t help but smile at his accomplishments.
"BOOM! LET''S GO!" Ob said in colossal excitement. Vincent looked at his new friend and couldn''t help but laugh at how excited he was to do something for the team.
"Very good," Abigail said, chuckling, "The main clerks in the middle are the ones we need to get to. They are the ones who accept items and put them up into the trade center portal." She began explaining. "Then you see to our right and left? Those clerks are the ones who will guide us into finding the proper item we are looking for. In the very back behind the main clerks are gold piece clerks; they give you the money you have earned from selling your items." Ob nodded, understanding what she was saying.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The trio pushed through the crowd, a mixture of excuse mes moves and shoves. Later, they finally arrived at the clerks.
"Ello, there, love," The clerk said in a soft, soothing voice, "Welcome to the Trades'' All. What can I do fer ya?"
"Hey, how ya doing, Eluna?" Ob said with a genuine smile, "I''m looking to sell this dark heart, dark stone, a few succubus wings, and a pair of succubus horns." He said, presenting the items to the clerk.
"I''m doin'' aight here, love, thank you," She said with a surprised smile, "Oh, big haul, big haul indeed. You must be that newcomer who slayed that succubus team. Oh, don''t look so glum; love," she saw that Ob was looking sad at the mention of his victory. He was still trying to come to grips with it, "they were a rotten bunch. They had it coming. I''m glad they are gone so we can maintain the order." She continued, "You''re in luck; all your items are hot right now. You''ll get a pretty big haul for those." Her eyes glowed gold as she took the items, and they disappeared in front of her. She spoke, but her voice was different; it was harsher. "Take this ticket and head back to collect your gold; your items have been sold already." Her eyes returned to their standard brown color; she smiled gently and said, "You have a nice day, ya ''ere love."
"Thanks, Eluna, you were a big help," Ob said with another genuine smile. He collected his ticket, looked at his friends, and they moved towards the back of the building. She was pretty kind, Ob thought to himself; she must not be called by her name often.
Vincent was watching the exchange between Ob and the clerk. He noticed how much more helpful the clerk was after Ob said her name. She was just as shocked as Vincent to hear him call her by her first name; that was not what they did here. In most aspects of life here, you were a nameless worker. Not with Ob; he was intentional about getting the names of the people who served him; Vincent thought about Lani, their innkeeper; Janice, the weapons saleswoman; Loivern, the vendor; and Reginald, the tailor. Now adding Eluna to that list. Ob didn''t say people''s names because he wanted something from them; Vincent assumed it was because he genuinely cared about their names.
They approached the back clerks. Ob held out his ticket to the clerk; the clerk''s eyes were brown but looked like they were dead; how much he hated to be here, "there, Hughuin, I have this ticket to collect gold."
Hughuin looked at Ob, blinked in confusion, and then took Ob''s ticket. Hughuin didn''t say anything back to Ob because he was still confused at the mention of his name. "Eh, apologies, good sir." Hughuin said in a high-pitched, panicked voice, "Here is your payout." his eyes glowed golden as he accepted the ticket. After a bit, his eyes returned to standard brown and were a little less dead. The man didn''t hand Ob a bag of coins but a small item.
Item: Redemption Ticket
Divine
This is a ticket given to you by a priest of the god Goldar. It has a pre-selected amount of gold pieces. The amount of gold pieces on this ticket is: 100,000. Would you like to accept? Yes/No?
¡°Holy craaaaaaaaap, YES!¡± Ob exclaimed, not intentionally. This got a massive grin from Hughuin. Hughuin thought how strange this man was; no one had ever called him by his name; it had been nearly 5 years working this job since he heard his name at work. Now, he was excited about the amount of money he just earned. Most people were upset. "Thank you, Hughuin, this is awesome!" Ob said, interrupting his thoughts; his smile was huge, and he went to shake the clerk''s hand. Hughuin shook his hand and watched this peculiar man walk away.
¡°100k?!¡± Vincent said
"Oh, my gods. You were blessed." Abigail exclaimed. "Well, we can definitely afford to get you an awesome keystone item. Pretty much any item that you want. Let''s find something to the left over here; we could meet another clerk." Abigail was perplexed; why was Ob always getting such great luck? Especially here, something was happening, but she was not sure what it was, nor was she upset by it.
As they approached the final clerk, she was a woman with forest-green hair. She had pointy ears and small horns sticking out of her head. Abigail had called her a forest halfling, half druid, and half human. "Hi Prancey, I''m Ob. How are you doing?" Ob had asked her with a genuine smile and an extended hand. The clerk just stared at his hand and slowly reached out to shake it.
"Hello, Ob," she said slowly and carefully, letting go of his hand, "I am doing okay, uh, thank you for asking. How may I be of service?" Her speech was slow and methodical.
"Good to hear. I am looking for a keystone item with high rarity." Ob said, looking her in her forest green eyes.
"Very good; any kind you are looking for, young Ob?" She said with a small smile. Her eyes flickered as she was asking the question.
"Mystic keystone would be ideal. Do you have any of those?" Ob said, noticing the flicker but electing not to mention it.
"Ahh, yes, of course. Let me check the inventory," Prancey responded, her eyes turning to the same gold color. She stared in Ob''s direction, but he could tell she was not looking at him. After some time, her eyes returned to their forest green color. She now held several items in her hands and placed them in front of Ob. "Here I have a Mystic Stone, Mystic essence, Mystic box, Mystic Drop, and a Mystic Vile. How many are you looking for?" Prancey asked Ob.
"Abigail?" Ob asked his companion through dragon speak
"Let''s get three. You can afford three, and having the rest of your powerset be mystic will be good. It will match your celestine race perfectly." She responded.
"The most valuable ones there are the drop, vile, and box. But you don''t want the box; it will for sure give you a shield spell that would go against your powerset." Vincent also responded.
Now looking back at Prancey, Ob said, "The Essence, Drop, and Vile, please, Prancey."
She stared at him momentarily with an eyebrow raised, "Very well. That will be 7500 gold pieces." She handed him another ticket.
Item: Ticket of Debt
Divine
You have been given this ticket to pay off a debt. This ticket debt is set to 7500 gold pieces. Would you like to pay now? Yes/No?
Yes.
Prancey''s eyes turned gold for a quick flash. She handed the items to Ob, and he gladly accepted them. He looked at Prancey, frowning, "You don''t shake hands usually, do you?" he asked her.
Prancey looked up at him and smiled, "Traditionally, druids do not shake hands with strangers."
Ob put his head down in shame and sighed, "Damn, I am sorry. Forgive me for my ignorance. I will be sure to keep that in mind next time. Thank you for your grace, Prancey. Take care." He turned and walked out. How strange, Prancey thought to herself; no one had ever offered to shake her hand, let alone apologize for it. It is a small rule amongst the druid community; how was he to know? Yet he is determined to mind her people''s culture. That made her heart skip a beat, and she couldn''t help but smile at the encounter.
Chapter 13 - Silver Fox
The group left the trades hall. After they crossed that threshold, they all took big inhales of fresh air. The air smelt like a summer breeze by the ocean. It was nice and crisp but not too cold. Ob looked at his friends with a big smile. He felt that it was a great trip to the trades hall. As Ob was standing there taking in the fresh air, suddenly, he saw nothing but a man standing in front of him. The man was solid gold, tall, and glorious. The man shimmered with every step; his presence was divine. Ob felt the urge to kneel, but he did not. Ob simply bowed his head.
"You do not bow?" the man asked in somewhat disbelief.
"I''m Ob," Ob said, ignoring the man''s question, "What''s your name, my guy?"
The man raised his eyebrow at Ob, trying to hide a slight smile. "I am Goldar, the god of trade and gold." He said simply.
"Oh, hello there, that explains everything disappearing. To what do I owe the pleasure, lord Goldar?" Ob asked
"I wanted to thank you for being kind to my priests in the trades hall. They are not treated well until you. Being a priest of mine is hard because it is a job that means you will be mistreated." Goldar solemnly replied.
"Not how you originally designed it, huh?" Ob asked, understanding the pained look on the god''s face.
"No, I did not expect that people who are doing services would be treated so poorly. This is not something any of the gods had foreseen." Goldar replied.
Ob laughed out loud, and the god raised another eyebrow, "My fault, I''m not laughing at you. I won''t assume what you know, but you know I am from another dimension, yes?" The god nodded, "Right, where I am from, people in service are treated the absolute worst! They are treated as if they owe the person they are serving. I hate it."
"Have you experienced this personally?" Goldar asked.
"No, I have not. I just see it and want to change it." Ob replied straight.
"I see. I understand you a little bit more now, Ob; thank you. I have a gift for your kindness. I hope that it allows you to further your desire in this world," Goldar said with something in his hand; the god offered the gift with his left hand, and with his other hand, he reached to shake Ob''s hand. Ob shook the god''s hand and felt immense power enter his body. It was a massive rush, and he felt a shift in his soul. Then, took the gift. Everything returned to normal in the blink of an eye, and the god had disappeared.
"Well, that was fun," Ob exclaimed.
"What happened? Where did you go?" Abigail asked nervously, "you just vanished in front of us."
"I spoke to a god, I thought something was going on with those tickets they gave me." Ob casually responded.
"You spoke to a god and this is your reaction?" Vincent flabbergasted asked Ob.
"Yeah, he was a cool dude. Gave me a gift, let''s head back and talk about it more." Ob said, noticing a small group eyeing them. Being sure that they also noticed his disappearing act.
"Dude? What is a dude, nevermind. A god came and personally thanked you for treating his priest well?" Abigail disbelievingly asked, "I have never heard of that before; you truly were blessed, Ob."
Ob was in the middle of taking a big bite of food. "Yeah, I guess so. How many gods are there?" Ob asked with his mouthful.
"Gross Ob, just wait till you''re done eating." a disgusted Abigail said. "There are many gods here; I don''t know the exact number. That much is unknown. How many gods are there in your world?
"Probably only one, depending on who you ask." After swallowing his food, Ob stated, "There are tales of ancient gods that must be very similar to your actual gods. Small that interact with humans more directly. There are, however, many religions out there that there is only one god; this god did show up as a human 2000 years ago or so, came down, and then was killed for doing good."
"What?!" Abigail asked, with confusion fully taking over, "How do they kill a god? Why did they kill this god?"
"Not a god, THE God, at least that''s what most believe over there; there is a hierarchy of gods; this one we are talking about would be above all the others, then the gods like the ones in this world would be below that one." Ob tried to explain, looking at his friends'' faces he decided to change the topic, "anyways, he gave me this item."
Item: Amulet of Goldar
Divine
Gift item, customizable
Wear this amulet of the god of gold pieces; while being worn, all gold pieces rewarded will be doubled. It affects as long as the user is wearing it. Would you like to wear? Yes/No?
Yes.
The amulet was a solid gold chain link necklace that had the symbol of the god attached to it. The symbol was a gold coin on one side and two hands shaking on the other. Not a fan of necklaces, Ob wrapped it around his arm like a rosary, then tucked it into his tunic arm sleeve.
"Whoa, as if we weren''t swimming in money as is." Abigail said, "Why do you think he gave you this?"
"He knows I''ll give a lot away to others," Ob said matter of factly. "Okay, let''s look at what these items do."
Item: Mystic Drop
Rare
Keystone Item
Use this item to unlock a mystic skill. This keystone item unlocks specifically a skill related to healing. Would you like to use? Yes/No?
No.
Item: Mystic Vile
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Rare
Keystone Item
Use this item to unlock a mystic skill. This keystone item unlocks a skill specifically related to items and potion crafting. Would you like to use? Yes/No?
No.
Item: Mystic Essence
Uncommon
Keystone Item
Use this item to unlock a mystic skill. This keystone item unlocks a skill specifically related to performing mystic spells and attacks. Would you like to use? Yes/No?
Yes. While holding the mystic essence, Ob felt the little orb grow and swirl around him; the orb grew and grew until it was the size of Ob. It flew around him, surrounding Ob. After it was around him, it closed in, engulfing Ob in a beautiful display of purple and silver. Ob''s eyes glowed purple for a brief second, then returned to the Solar Eclipse.
Item: Mystic Essence
Has been consumed. Consumption has produced the skill for the Nurture Power.
Nurture Power: Slayer
Skill: Light Bolt
Use your inner manna and connection with the physical reality to summon a bolt of light. The bolt of light deals extra damage to those who practice dark arts, spawn of dark creatures, or dark creatures themselves. If the attack lands, there is a 15% chance of causing temporary dizziness on an opponent. Reach Silver Level to level up Light Bolt.
"You also can slay enemies of the dark," Vincent said, "I wonder if that is because of our run-in with the succubus; having those two attack us early on was brutal; now you have the skills to do double damage."
"That is a good skill to get," Abigail reported proudly, "you will be able to cast spells now from a distance, that is useful.¡±
"I agree with both of you. Do all skills increase with level? This is the first time I saw something that said that?" Ob asked
"It depends," Abigail responded, "Sometimes there is a specific thing that they change to, like your light bolt. Other times, there are multiple, and the person has to figure out what the change is. Typically, it changes based on your nature." Ob nodded his understanding. "May I ask, why did you choose that one over the others?"
"I figured having the vile would be better for the Maverick powerset. Mixing it with my other two powersets could provide some sort of skill related to Hades. Or maybe potion crafting. The other, not sure what healing would look like for a Slayer, but not sure if it would have been great."
"Good thinking. It''s getting late; let''s look to call it a night and begin training tomorrow. We can go back to that cave." Vincent, yawning, said, "I''m sleepy; the trades hall always takes it out of me." Ob agreed and headed to his room, saying his goodbyes.
Ob couldn''t sleep; his mind was racing, so much had happened that day. All the names, the people, the clothes, the god, it was overwhelming. However, something about Goldar struck him; the god offered to shake his hand. He also seemed the same as a being with a mass amount of power.
Status: Ob Jones
Level Up: Aura manipulation has leveled up to level 3
You have encountered a being with great aura. Their aura showed little effect on you, thus bolstering your aura defense.
Level Up: Soul manipulation has leveled up to level 4
You have encountered a being with a divine soul. Their contact with you has altered your soul slightly. Did you believe in gods before? Well, now you have encountered one.
I thought soul manipulation was supposed to be hard, yet I have gotten four levels already, Ob thought; unless this also goes to level 100, then damm, I''ve got a long way to go. What''s crazy is all the people in town; I need to look at these manipulations because if what Janice said is true, being a Draconian and having that written all over my aura is not good.
Ob thought about trying to meditate; this was a practice he would do at home before big track meets. He would focus on his breathing, then silencing his mind. He had felt what his soul and aura felt like, but he wasn''t sure how exactly to meditate on that. He thought back to when he first woke up in this world. That was his soul, according to VON¡ VON, wait, he had VON.
VON has leveled up.
VON is now level 5.
VON can now appear in front of Ob as whatever Ob desires in order to facilitate conversations. How would you like VON to appear in front of you?
Oh, that''s fun; how about a little silver fox? Ob thought to VON. Ob watched as he made his mental command. As a silver light materialized in front of him, there sat a little fox. The fox looked at Ob quizzically, then began speaking into his mind with the voice of VON.
Hello Ob. How can I help you?
"Oh hey, so I got those aura and soul manipulation powers," Ob began to say aloud, feeling comforted by speaking with his mouth rather than his mind. "I have no idea what that means, how I got it, or how to even train it. And if I am truly being honest with myself, I don''t even know how what an aura OR soul is for that matter." Looking down at his hands, he stated, "I feel like I have been thrown into a huge lake with a bunch of tools in a foreign language and was told to survive." He continued, at this point, he was just venting, "People say I am this powerful being or something that I should be cautious about who I am; if I am that powerful, then why should I be cautious? Why should I care what others think of me? Shit, I didn''t care what people thought of me back on¡. Earth," he hesitated, unsure if he even wanted to call Earth home anymore. Ob had been on this new planet or dimension, whatever you wanted to call it, for 6 days at this point, not even a week, and he felt more like himself than he ever had. After all, he had already been adopted; why not adopt an entire new world? He hadn''t known his birth family anyway, just like how he doesn''t have one here. "Yet here I am," he continued after his long thought ended, "full of all these magical powers. I don''t have to stand for people treating me badly anymore." He paused, realizing he had just dumped a lot of heaviness he had not realized he had been carrying. He took a long and slow deep breath, rubbed his temples, and sighed it out, "What is an aura, and how do I use it? How do I increase my soul strength?"
The silver fox VON had just been sitting there listening to him in detail, with no judgment, no annoyance, just sitting. It waited until Ob asked the question directly, then said, An aura is your magical presence manifested. All magical beings possess an aura; the stronger the magical being, the stronger the aura. Usually, auras do not manifest in physical reality, meaning they cannot be seen. However, beings who possess strong magical powers can manifest their aura. VON looked at Ob to see if he was still spying attention; Aura for Ob Jones is black and orange, matching the shine of a solar eclipse. When aura is used in the physical world, it will become waves of that. Meditation, feeling, and understanding of the magic coursing through your being and control all help increase aura manipulation levels.
Souls are within every living creature. A soul is what makes the creature a creature. Imagine the soul as a blueprint for a building. It is intricate, it is delicate, and it is vital. Now imagine a small creature versus a giant creature. The blueprints are going to be different; their souls will be different sizes. A mouse will have a more minor, thus more controllable soul, whereas a tiger will have a more significant, thus less controllable soul. Your soul has an extensive blueprint, a blueprint that is rival to gods; in order to access all the areas of your soul, practice and time are needed. Meditation, understanding, and control help gain and maintain all the aspects of a soul.
Mediation, huh, but I have to focus on feeling the magic. Feeling the magic. Feeling the magic, Ob thought to himself, getting into his meditative state, which was lying on his back, one arm across his chest, the other still stiff by his side. He began to slow and control his breathing. He focused on that feeling of the fire starting in his stomach. As Ob thought, he began to imagine a tiny black flame spark in his belly, and he followed the flame. The flame was connected to a long channel of pathways. It looked like a busy Metropolitan city with all the crossways and streets. The sparked moved like a small car navigating these streets; he tracked it. As the spark was moving, he noticed that he could feel his knees get warmer; it was going down, progressing into his shin bone and ankle. He paused as he felt the flame leave his toes. He opened his eyes to see an aura all around him; judging by what VON said, it was his.
The black and orange aura was swirling. It was breathtaking. Ob moved to tears at how beautiful the sight was. It looked like the Northern Lights but was orange, red, and black instead of blue and green.
Chapter 14 - Obliteration
Maeva Coldin has been exploring these caves for many moons. She wasn''t lost. She was a scout for hire. Her entire career has been centered around spying on others, scouting difficult places for other teams, or creating a map for small parties or businesses. She loved this work; she loved that she was her own boss. No one was going to tell her what to do anymore. She had done the whole party thing before, which was not her style. Her leader was a jerk, always sticking her nose up at everyone as if she was better than them just cause her parents were dukes of a small provincial town.
Maeva Coldin was a petite woman. She has a round face with sharp eyes. Her hair was short-cropped about shoulder length. It was wavy and earthly brown mixed with some blonde. She had dark tan skin and hazel eyes. If Ob had seen her, he would say she looked like a gymnast, with short, big legs, a strong core, and arms. She was fast and great at hiding.
She had finally completed her mission, and she would be paid well for it. A silver-tier party wanted the Tornoc caves scouted out before their raid. There were rumors of legendary loot coming from adamantium-tier monsters, and this made the cave worth it. They wanted a map so they could escape quickly if they failed to conquer the monster.
Job complete; she was expecting to meet the team in the small town; it was so small that it didn''t even have a name. "Ugh, what a drab; these small towns are unbearable sometimes," She thought to herself, her voice soft and raspy with a hint of constant sass. "I''ll stay one night until the team is off to Andohull first thing. I cannot stay around here for too long."
KNOCK
KNOCK
KNOCK
Three knocks woke Ob up from his deep sleep; he didn''t have a dream. First time since waking up here a week ago. Ob spent all last night meditating and training his aura/soul. He felt a different connection to the world as he had begun feeling the magic course through his body. He concluded he liked how the aura made him feel.
Vincent, growing tired of Ob''s delay, burst through the door, "Come on, Ob, we''re off to train, we have to head to that cave, it''s time you learned!" He was pretty excited to be training; he had wanted to train with Ob since the day they met him. He wanted to figure out how this guy ticked and if he had a work ethic. "Were you training last night?"
Ob rolled out of his bed on the floor and put some clothes on. While putting on his clothes, he responded, "Yeah, aura and soul, kind of. I was getting the basic understanding of the two."
"Does Your world not have aura or souls?"
"Well, not sure, we have people who claim they can read auras but really are just lying. And souls are harder to prove without magic."
"Did you believe in a soul? Before here?" Vincent asked with the same excitement as Abigail.
"Well, yes and no. Souls aren''t tangible in that world; it is something felt with a deep inherent understanding of you and your interests or beliefs." Ob responded by putting on his boots. The two men continued their conversation in the central area of their inn suite; Abigail joined them as Ob spoke some more, "Back there, a soul is something you feel but not enough to experience. For instance, when you do something that you really like, eating ice cream, watching a movie, or hanging with a loved one, you feel much more¡" he paused, searching for the right word, "I don''t know, you just have this feeling of being very content, and people say, my soul is full."
"What is ice.. cream¡? Or a movie?" Abigail asked with bewilderment.
Saddened by the prospect of no ice cream, he dismissed that question, "Never having ice cream is criminal! Nevermind that, that is something we''ll have to discuss later. My point is, souls are just feelings, but we can''t prove that they are real." Ob felt something prick his senses, but he let that sit for a bit.
"But, is it not real if you feel it?" Abigail questioned with a hint of passion in her voice, "I may not be able to prove my feelings for pain, but I know I feel them. If I am grieving over the death of a loved one, I cannot prove that I am in pain, I am simply, in pain. So should not that feeling be enough to prove souls are real"
Ob chuckled; he liked seeing how passionate Abigail got. "You make a convincing argument there," Ob conceited.
"My my, what a chatty bunch you all are," a soft and raspy voice said from the shadows of the cave. "Been watchin'' y''all for some time and yet. None of you reacted to my presence.. not very aware are we?" That last bit was full of sarcasm and sass.
Vincent, the team''s scout, turned red. He wasn''t even talking, and he didn''t notice this person. How was he meant to be the scout if he couldn''t even sense this person? As if his friends had read his mind, Abigail touched him with a calming, reassuring touch, and Ob said, "Don''t worry about it, Vincent. She is a high-level scout." Louder to the woman, he said, "Nah, I sensed you; you just didn''t pose a threat to the three of us. You are good, though."
At that remark, the woman crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. She did not believe this man sensed her presence; she was too good at her job to be sensed. "Yeah, whatever you say, pretty boy," She said, staring back at Ob, "My y''all are all pretty cute. Anyways, there is a party coming here in two days'' time, so if you''re going to be exploring the cave, better be quick with it." Before she even heard a response, she stepped into the light and walked past them.
"Thanks," Ob said, getting a good look at the woman who had walked past. She was short and built. Turning to Abigail, Ob asked, "Hey, is everyone here just attractive, or is that a magic thing?"
Abigail raised an eyebrow, turning to see the woman, "she definitely heard you say that.¡± Ob shrugged, smiled and wiggled his eyebrows back at Abigail. She rolled her eyes and continued,¡± Magic helps yes. The more you level up the more powerful you get, this plays to the perception. If you are a friendly person you will give off the perception of being more attractive, if you are an enemy you will give off the perception of being more dangerous. Imagine it similar to a person being more attractive the more confidence they have."
"Yeah that makes sense, so it''s not a physical thing, it is a perceptual thing?" Ob responded with a nod.
"Just as you say. However, people are still attractive without that perception, they just look even more attractive."
"Ahh, like you," Ob said absentmindedly, not knowing he had said it out loud. Abigail''s face turned red slightly, and Vincent stopped in his tracks. "What?! I have eyes; you did good, Vincent."
Vincent chuckled at that, "I did, didn''t I!" he said proudly, grabbing his girlfriend''s hip and kissing her cheek. Abigail, getting tired of the limelight and talks about her beauty, changed the conversation, "That woman said we have a couple of days before a crusader party is coming. Let''s get to it."
The training was different from what Ob expected. They used their powers, but not entirely; it was a mixture of sparring - hand-to-hand and weapon-to-weapon combat. They did push-ups, they did sit-ups, they stretched. Ob thought to himself that this was just like the training he did at home, and he loved it. He excelled in all the bodyweight exercises; this was his bread and butter, and this is what he did for a living workout. The couple looked on at Ob with wonderment; he thrived in training. It didn''t even seem like it phased him the things they had to do. He pushed himself harder than both of them and had this mindset that he could do one more rep every single time.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
After the physical training, they all found a place where they could practice their magic. Vincent was excited; it was time for him to showcase his skills. Abigail explained how they could gain levels by successful hits; this meant that it was hard to level up on each other. That was not the point of training, she said firmly; it was to get used to each other''s powers. To see how the party could be cohesive and thrive.
"Ob, you deal heavy damage with your dragon''s breath. Vincent does great damage from a distance." Abigail started, "We had a great strategy when we were fighting the succubus party; it was natural. I felt like our timing went well. We struggled, though, when it came to the succubus transforming to that thing, and Ob couldn''t get close for physical attacks."
"Speaking of your physical attacks," Vincent interrupted, "they aren''t physical are they? Your kicks and punches?"
"No, they are not," Abigail retorted, "they are spiritual; they are soul attacks manifested in the physical reality."
"That''s right, honestly not sure how or why, but that is how I killed that wraith, VON said that I would only be able to kill a wraith with a soul attack" Ob responded.
"Anyways, you couldn''t get close," Abigail said, bringing the conversation back on topic, "you have two new modes of attack, your new skill and your scythe. I want you to spend an hour learning how to use both of those effectively. Vincent and I will work on our attack and defense styles. I did not get to use my new toxic pulse, and I want to figure out how we can add that into our combos."
Ob nodded and left the couple. "Hey, VON, can you make many small foxes? I want to see if I can use that to practice the feelings?"
Three silver foxes appeared around Ob, and they started to sprint in a circle.
"Nice!" Ob said with determination painting his face; he pulled out Hades and got into a fighting stance. Without a moment''s notice, he launched at the circle of sprint foxes; one of the foxes dodged to the left of Ob, and Ob turned to the right and slashed backward to get the fox next to his left. He missed; trickery did not work. Ob took a deep breath and felt a warmth surge in his hands like he was holding a light bulb that was turned on. He felt the passage of manna enter his hands, and through the staff of Hades, with a long diagonal slash, he released a slash of light towards the fox; the fox looked to dodge, but it had nowhere to escape. The slash hit the fox, and it impacted with a boom. The fox vanished into silver smoke. "One down."
The next fox was following him heel to toe. Ob thought it didn''t want to suffer the same fate as the other fox, and using his aura, he released some aura from his heel. He felt it connect with the fox, and he quickly turned and kicked. He missed, and the fox jumped over his leg. The fox lunged at Ob and bared his teeth towards his neck; Ob dodged, swinging his weapon towards the fox. That one strike connected with that silver fox; it sent the silver fox flying into the roof of the cave and exploded into silver smoke. "One more left"
Ob started searching for that final fox, but he couldn''t see it. That made him nervous. The fox was stalking him, hiding. Ob used his cloak and jumped into a shadow, using his senses to search for the fox. He found it as he began to reappear out of the shadow. He felt his ribs get impacted with the butt of a hammer. It sent him flying across the coarse rocky ground on his other side. He looked up to see a giant creature. It was about 11 feet tall, with a body made of solid rock, with yellow eyes and sapphire lines throughout it.
"Damn, ouch" he looked down to see blood trickling out of his side. He got up to look at the giant golem; it was swinging a hammer in its hands.
Objective: Survive
You have been attacked by a minor sapphire golem. Defeat it and receive a reward. Hidden Bonus award available.
"Damn, a minor sapphire golem... That''s minor?" The golem swung its hammer again towards Ob''s head. Ob ducked and swung Hades towards the golem. As he swung the scythe, he felt that light feeling in his hands again, and as he swung, he focused the feeling on flowing through his hand and onto the staff of the scythe, then through to the blades, which sent a light bolt towards the golem''s legs. It connected, and a small boom erupted, and a minor crack formed at the golem''s right leg. "Damn," Ob swore to himself; that attack barely did any damage. The golem walked towards Ob and slammed the hammer into the ground; the ground erupted in blue crystals charging into Ob; he dodged narrowly, almost getting struck. Ob jumped into a shadow to reappear and swing his weapon; he slashed at the golem''s hammer arm. Small cracks of blue started to form in the arm of the golem. Ob jumped into the shadows again and went for the same hammer arm; again, small cracks were growing little by little.
The golem, getting more and more agitated, started being more aggressive with its attacks. This time, the golem swung up and struck the ceiling while also striking the ground; blue crystals shot out of the roof and the floor, trapping Ob in a cage of sapphire. The golem slowly approached, the blue cracks starting to shrink as it was healing itself. Hammer in hand, the golem readied another blow; as it swung on the cage, Ob jumped into shadows, this was the first time he had been into the shadow realm since the skill progressed. The realm was a misty deep gray, it looked like the world but grayed out and cloudy. He could still sense, unlike the first time, pre-bronze tier, he could make out vague shapes and move smoother. The golem¡¯s powerful swing, struck down destroying the cage but also following through, altering his swing rotation to land behind itself, expecting Ob to reappear there. He did not. Ob reappeared in the newly smashed cage. Now free from his cage, Ob performed another light attack on the same leg. The attack connected more cracks; this time, Ob appeared behind it and used Hades to continue to swipe and swipe at the leg. As he was getting ready to swipe once again, the golem swung down with the hammer, and a vast crater formed where Ob once stood.
Ob was getting tired, his manna was running low, and he was about 50% left. He knew that he had to save some for his final dragon''s breath but wasn''t sure how much more he could take of this. Ob let out another light bolt with Hades to attack that same leg; this time, there was a small boom. The golem''s leg was nothing but blue smoke.
The golem lost balance now that its leg was obliterated and started to fall on top of Ob. As it was falling, it was readying another attack with its large hammer.
Ob ducked into the shadows and reappeared in the air behind the golem. He felt the fire spark inside his belly, and he focused, forcing that spark to grow bigger and bigger into a raging fire; he sent it up his throat. As he was focusing, the golem had a trick of his own; the blue lines on the golem began to glow a marvelous blue sheen. The golem turned quickly and swung its hammer in the air. As Ob prepared for his dragon''s breath, the golem''s swing struck him hard in the stomach. The swing was devastating; it put so much force into that swing that Ob spat out blood. And sent him flying several feet back. He grunted and got to his knees.
Pride, arrogance, whatever you want to call it, this is what kept Ob from giving up; this is what kept Ob from running away and fighting another day. Standing up, spitting more blood out, he pushed that fire forward with some force and additional will to produce a massive dragon''s fireball. Black and orange flames engulfed the golem fully. The fireball melted the golem into a beautiful sapphire molten pile. Defeated. Ob grimaced as he felt his side; the adrenaline from the fight hid how much damage he had taken. He looked and felt his side; it was swollen and warm to the touch, and he broke at least one rib.
Monster Defeated: Minor Sapphire Golem
You have defeated a minor sapphire golem.
Level: 24
Reward: 15000 gold pieces (amulet in effect)
Reward: Golem''s Hammer
Reward: Sapphire Gems x5
Reward: L Explier
Objective: Survive - Completed
You have survived the attack from the minor sapphire golem.
Reward for completing objective - Golem Charm
Hidden Objective: Obliteration
You have completed the hidden objective, obliteration. Killing a golem is good, but these particular gem golem''s can be melted down, and their molten metal can be collected.
Reward: Molten Gemstone: Sapphire
Ob felt awful. His side hurt a lot; his head was pounding. He looked at his manna; it was almost empty. He slowly walked back to where his party had been. He stumbled up to them, clutching his side, still bleeding out slowly. He heard Abigail scream his name; Vincent was there in a flash to hold him up; Ob heard some vague chanting and passed out.
Chapter 15 - Priests, Warlocks, and Enchantresses
"Where are you going to go?" A deep voice spoke, "We have given you everything these last few years, and this is how you repay us. Just leaving?" the man was dark-skinned and skinny; his deep voice didn''t match his features.
"So you adopting me means that I am in debt to you?" a voice responded, "That doesn''t sound like adoption but slavery."
"Slavery?! Why be so dramatic, Oscar-Blane? Do you think that you are a slave? Did we make you work, did we starve you? Did we force you into a house outside of our own? Did we treat you any differently?" The man was growing angry.
"No, yes, you did, no, you didn''t, and yes, I live in the shed literally outside of your house, and of course, you treated me differently. Why do you think I worked so hard to prove myself to you all? No matter what I did, it was never enough; I was always not your child. This is the final reminder of that." Oscar gathered his bags and began to walk out.
"If that is how it is, you best give us all the stuff we bought for you." The man screamed.
"It is all in the shed." Without so much a glance back in the direction of the man, he said, "Thanks for loaning it all to me. See you later, Blaise."
"Rot in hell, Oscar, you better not show your face to us again. I wish we never adopted you!"
Charming, he might regret saying that, Oscar thought to himself as he walked away from the place that was his home.
Another dream? That was a rough one. Damn. Ob woke up after that dream to see Abigail kneeling over him. She smelt like evergreen trees; it was pleasant and comforting. She was chanting something in her mother tongue and holding Ob''s side. She saw his eyes open, and she smiled brightly at him. "Glad to see you are awake. You have been out for a couple of hours. Take your time; your rib is nearly healed. It will be another hour or so."
"What happened there, big guy?" Vincent asked, sitting up next to the fire and roasting some meat.
"I uhhh was attacked by a golem. I was training my light bolt, and using my scythe, the giant thing snuck up on me," Ob said with a croaky voice. "Smashed me in the side with the hammer, smashing my rib."
"Did you beat it?" Abigail asked, eyes looking worried.
"I did, level 24."
"WHAT?! You did what? How on the gods did you manage something almost silver?" amazement in her eyes as she spoke.
"It took a big chunk out of me, so struggle bus," he responded.
"Ob, that is nearly 20 levels higher than you; it should have killed you with that first strike. Yet here you are, alive, and there it is, dead. You have to tell us everything."
Ob retold his friends about how he was training with VON; things were going exceptionally well with the training until the golem showed up. He hadn''t heard or felt the golem appear; it just did. The swing from the hammer impacted his side and sent him flying. He told them the tactics he used to defeat the enemy; he didn''t embellish, nor did he hide moments where he could have fought smarter.
Abigail looked at Ob with awe; this man had just defeated a monster much higher level than him; his strategy was sound, and his judgment was sharp. He wouldn''t have been able to escape. A golem creates an arena that traps its opponents. That is why he couldn''t sense its presence. It hid it from him; he blocked him.
The trio decided that was enough of the training for the day, and they should head back to town. Ob needed to stop by Reginald''s tailor shop; it was time for his armor to be picked up.
Stumbling into the shop, Ob opened the door and approached Reginald, holding his ribs. "Hey there Reginald."
"Ahh, Sir Ob, looking a little rough for wear there," Reginald said, greeting his customer. "I assume you are here for your new armor and attire?" Ob nodded, not fully replying. "Very well, right this way, sir."
Reginald led Ob to a back room where three black bags were hanging on the wall. "First," he said, "we have your newly renovated dragon tunic, I took the liberty of adding your personal scheme to it," Reginald held up an all-black tunic that shimmered orange and red, much like Eclipse''s body. The body was form-fitting and felt loose. "The tunic itself provides significant aura and manna boosts. It has the normal dragon set bonuses that it provides. It is self-repairing too, this my good sir was not easy to add, with the magic of the dragon already infused. I took the liberty as well to add a sheath for your weapon there, you can add it to your back with ease. When you place your scythe''s staff to your back, the sheath will clamp down."
"Next, we have your former attire." Reginald held up an all-white suit with a diamond blue vest and tie. The suit had dark brown shoes and a dark brown belt to match. The suit jacket itself had 6 buttons, two columns of 3 buttons. It had a long tail end at the back. "This is your suit to wear at formal events, balls, galas, or meeting royalty. Your dragon tunic can be worn under it in case things go south quickly. This suit can be dissolved with your soul projection and recede if you do need to attack. This is a bondable item; they all are."
The last one we have is your additional armor," Reginald continued; he held up armor that did not look like armor. It was slender and looked like it was made from snakeskin. It did not provide any kind of protection whatsoever. "This is made from the monolith snake. It has the property to protect against soul and aura attacks. It does nothing for magic or physical damage. Not sure when you would need it, but I felt as if it was something you could use." Reginald concluded, looking up at his customer with beaming eyes.
Ob stood speechless. "This is amazing Reginald, I could not have asked for better quality. Sincerely, here is a tip." Ob collected his things and put the armor in his inventory. Then he handed Reginald a bag full of gold pieces.
"Sir. This is far too much, this is more than your attire." Reginald stood aghast as he looked at the 5000 gold piece tip that Ob gave him.
"You have done right by me, Reginald, and that is not something that I can pay. You took time to do this, and for that, I am grateful. Thank you," Ob said, bowing his head and shaking the tailor''s hand.
Reginald was speechless. He shook Ob''s hand and watched him walk out.
Back at the apartment, the crew had sent food to the room. Ob was spent. He hated how potions tasted, he hated how long his manna took to recharge, and his head was pounding. "There has got to be a way to make these things taste better," Ob complained while holding a manna potion in his hand.
"There is," Vincent spoke, looking up from cleaning his bow, "Cooking and brewing is the way to do that. You can find recipes and grow the skill. I am pretty sure that it could turn into an ability if you practice hard enough."
"That is correct." Abigail said, "But we have plenty of potions, no reason to spend the time."
"I beg to differ, I love cooking! These potions taste like I licked the inside of a pole in a men''s bathroom." Ob responded with a disgusted face.
"Why do you know what that tastes like?" Abigail asked slowly.
"Hey, it''s time for Eclipse to wake up," Ob said, changing the subject. A portal opened up, and Eclipse walked out.
"You are beat up; what happened?" She asked right away, staring at Ob.
"A sapphire golem, but we got some great spoils!" Ob responded with excitement to hide the evident pain he was in. Eclipse stared at Ob and then said nothing. Eclipse has known Ob long enough through the soul-link to understand how he works. He uses excitement and humor to mask the pain he feels; she understands that Ob feels embarrassed for getting ambushed and not sensing it; the broken ribs serve as a reminder that he was not good enough.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Item: Golem''s Hammer
Weapon
Rare
The hammer of a gem golem. Indestructible when being used as a forge hammer, powerful when being used as a weapon against earth, stone, or gem-based enemies. Very heavy, level requirement Silver. Insufficient level to wield.
Item: Sapphire Gems
Craftable item
Uncommon
A gemstone made of blue crystal can be used to craft jewelry to imbue additional magic into those pieces of jewelry.
Item: Golem Charm
Soul-Link
Rare
The charm grants the power to create a soul-link with a golem. The golem must be of equal or lower level or age, whichever is lower. The golem has the right to refuse the link; if this happens, the charm will become inactive for 7 days. After that, the charm may be attempted again on a different dragon. Soul-link, you gain a buddy for life. You and the being you are soul-linked, too, will travel together and explore the world. An extremely unique bond is that those who are soul-linked have an intrinsic understanding of each other''s feelings, thoughts, auras, and souls. The two grow stronger as they work together, becoming an unbreakable unit.
Item: Molten Gemstones - Sapphire
Bondable Item
Legendary
Use this item on a soul-linked partner to add sapphire to their genetic makeup.
"Molten gemstones," Ob said out loud slowly, "that sounds like an insane item to have."
"It is," Abigail responded, walking over and giving Eclipse a quick pat hello, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by anyone, "It is exceptional for golems, although you can add them to any other kind of being to give them some bonus to sapphire. I would not use it on Eclipse!"
"Wasn''t thinking about it; I got this Golem charm; I definitely don''t want a Golem as a soul-link; I move quick and disappear quickly; Golems are not that quick," Ob responded, giving Eclipse a firm nod.
"I''d save it," Vincent said, "None of us really move that slow; maybe we''ll find someone in our party who could benefit if you don''t want to sell it, of course."
"Nah, not gonna, don''t need the gold right now. That is a good idea tho, yeah I''ll save it for a new friend." Ob paused as he let the wave of pain wash over him, "Hey Abigail, can you do that healing magic water thing?"
She looked as if she was going to correct him, but she just nodded, looking at her very beaten friend. She walked into his room and began chanting over the water. Her eyes glowed that same teal blue color that it always does when she is spell casting, a mark of an enchantress. If it weren''t for Vincent, she would be even more disappointed in her eyes than she already was. When performing magic, the glowing of the eyes happens to a few people; priests, warlocks, and enchantresses. Their eyes either change color to match their deity or their aura. Abigail had always expected her aura to be forest green, like her kingdom''s colors. Finding it was not; that was hard for her; she felt like she was going against everything her kingdom was.
She freed herself from this trail of deep thoughts, placed her hands into the water, and continued her chanting to add healing magic to the water. Once done, she walked back out to the group in their shared living space and told Ob it was completed and he could go heal.
Eclipse followed Ob into his room so they could catch up on all that happened. Got into the bath and asked Eclipse to make it hot with her dragon''s breath, one part training, one part very relaxing. As he was relaxing, he shared with Eclipse the story of the sapphire golem attacking him and all their encounters. Eclipse''s thoughts were stuck on the woman that Ob had mentioned, Maeva; she had a feeling that they had not seen the last of her. She was curious if her instincts were telling her to be cautious or if she would be an excellent addition to the team. "Did you level up?" Eclipse asked, already knowing the answer; she could feel how much stronger he had gotten.
"No, too many notifications, I had to just mute them for the time being. A lot of them were probably telling me that I was going to die, honestly," he responded softly.
Ob Jones
Level up - Skill: Dragon''s Hide
Dragon¡¯s Hide is now level 8
Level up - Skill: Dragon''s Breath
Dragon¡¯s Breath is now level 17
Level up - Power: Draconian Ally
Draconian Ally is now level 12
Level up - Skill: Stalker
Stalker is now level 9
Level up - Skill: Light Bolt
Light Bolt is now level 10
Level up-Power: Slayer
Slayer is now level 8
Ob Jones is now level 6
Status: Ob Jones.
Race: human subset, earthling. Progress to Celestine: 75%
Level: Bronze Tier - Lvl 6Natural Power - Draconian Ally lvl. 12
Skill: Dragon''s Breath lvl. 17
Skill: Dragon''s Hide lvl. 8
Nurtured Power - Slayer lvl. 8
Skill: Stalker lvl. 9
Skill: Light Bolt lvl. 10
Federation Power - Undecided lvl. 0
Skill: Empty
Skill: Empty
Aura manipulation lvl. 3
Soul manipulation lvl. 4
75%, whoa, Ob thought. What have I done to even grow this much? I don''t feel different, but I do know each of my dreams has been very negative memories related to his home world. My world wasn''t all bad; I definitely had some good memories, he thought. He felt as if this world, his dreams, were trying to convince him that his old world was evil and this world was good. Ob didn''t think in black or white; he thought in gray. He didn''t want to be convinced that one was all bad or one was all good, he loved this world, and he loved his old life; yeah, these things suck, but things suck here. He was a man who liked to make his own decisions and was not someone who was afraid to be wrong or change his mind.
Ob, realizing he had just been staring at the water for too long without saying a word, came back from his thoughts.
"Damn," Ob exclaimed, "How is Light Bolt already level 10?!"
"Was that an attack you used frequently on the golem?" Eclipse asked,
"Yes, but not any big damage was done¡"
"Correct, it was level one, but your first hit most likely leveled up the attack. The golem was at a higher level than you, so any successful hit would produce significant experience. I am shocked that it did not go much higher."
"I am pretty sure that once I get that federation, then my level will skyrocket because right now, I have a solid 0 in that average."
"Yes, perhaps, although you were successful. Do not continue to attempt to kill 20 levels higher than you all the time."
"I know, I know. Did you think that I wanted this Eclipse? My ribs are broken; I was training. I got blindsided. You don''t think I know to not go after anything that much higher. I got jumped!" Ob''s frustration bubbled over, and he breathed a huge fire breath.
Eclipse looked ashamed of herself. She knew that he was feeling remorseful already, but why had she felt the need to press him. Why was she so hell bent on being a mother figure or a mentor or something. For whatever reason, maybe her dragon pride, she felt his superior. She understood that if she kept pushing him, he would not be as accommodating to her as he had been. She understood all of this, yet she couldn''t help but feel his superior. It was clear he had a good understanding of this world and had clearly accepted magic. He was growing stronger every day; he was learning faster than she had ever seen any being learn. He was her superior, and she had a tough time accepting this simple fact. She was a princess, after all, the next in line to be the Queen of the clan, but she had left the crown to explore the world. Did she miss the crown? Did she miss her home? Whatever it was or whatever it is she needed to figure it out. She wanted to be better for him, and she didn''t want to keep pissing him off.
Chapter 16 - Kaleidoscope
"Oscar?" a small voice behind a closed door, "are you really leaving?" she asked.
"I am, little dragon," Oscar responded sadly. Oscar held his arms open for his youngest sister to come and give him a big hug.
"I''m going to miss you so much, please don''t go," she started crying in his arms. Oscar''s youngest sister, Daisy, was 7 years younger than Oscar. She had brown hair and blue eyes and was always a big fan of Oscar. She treated him like she was his big brother; he was the only one who cared for her and how she wanted to be treated. She, unlike Oscar, was fair-skinned and had freckles all over her body. She heard the news that Oscar had decided to leave the family. "Will you call me," she said in between sobs.
"You know I will, and you can even come and visit me, if mom and dad allow, that is." Oscar responded gently, patting Daisy''s back.
"You know that is never going to happen, they hate you and think you are ungrateful."
"Well¡ what do you think about me?" Oscar asked, pushing her back so he could look her in the eyes.
"I think you have been extremely grateful, I think that you have been extremely patient. I know that it must be hard to be adopted into this family, I barely can manage and I am a child of theirs. I love you, Ob; you are my best friend." She began crying again, unable to finish her sentence.
"I love you too, little one¡" He said, wiping his own tears, "You don''t need to be strong all the time, but right now, for the next five minutes, be strong with me? I never wanted to leave you or make you feel alone." He looked her in the eyes; her eyes, now puffy and red, blinked back at him. "Promise me, no matter how far apart we grow, we will always remember each other and we will always have each other''s back."
"I promise Ob, I promise."
Ob woke up.
My first dream that wasn''t a garbage memory was that one?! So sad. Ob thought to himself, damn Daisy, I wonder how you are doing. I hope you are okay. That was 6 years ago. I wish you could see me now, you would be so proud. Ob sat up in bed and began thinking about his sister a bit more. She was the only one in that family who treated him halfway decently; she didn''t see him as the adopted one but as the one who added greatness to the family. She saw him as her brother and best friend; she was the one who gave him the nickname ¡®Ob¡¯. He would attempt to see her at least once a year; it was tricky with how his adoptive parents were strict on whom Daisy could interact with. Ob definitely didn''t make that short list.
With a sigh, Ob got out of bed and began his morning routine. Feeling his ribs had healed entirely, he smiled. Magic, he thought. Ob learned that vitality is the attribute that increases the recovery process and strength of everything within your body. The higher his vitality, the harder it was for him to be hurt.
He walked over to Eclipse, put a hand on her head, and said, "Don''t trip, I''m not mad at you at all. We''re solid, family." he hugged her and walked into the standard room.
"I think we should be leaving town soon, especially with the rewards that Ob got. That silver tier team will be in town soon," Abigail said as she paused to see Ob walk out. "Perfect timing; we are discussing our next plan. I believe we should head for Andohull, the largest city on this continent."
"Sounds good to me, how long will that take us to get there?" Ob asked, shaking Vincent''s hand and giving Abigail a half hug; the group had gotten rather close. They were becoming a solid group of friends and not just strangers; fighting can bring people closer.
"Well, if we want to go directly there, a couple days, maybe three." Vincent responded, "buuuuut if we want to train on the way and explore some ruins we could take a couple weeks."
"I don''t see an issue with that, although it would be good to completely unlock my powersets. That would be my only reservation." Ob responded.
"Mine too," Abigail pitched in, "The Maverick federation assessment is comprehensive and difficult. It takes a two week long assessment, where you will be dropped off in a location with a map and told to find your way back to the starting point, then you will have to do a simulated illusionary defense, and lastly you will be forced to engage in an aura reading. It is very invasive and is a reason a lot of people refuse to be a maverick."
"Here is my question that I have been wondering," Ob sat down next to the couple, grabbing some bread to eat, "What''s the difference between them? Why not just have one large federation that you have to take an assessment, the same assessment to pass and become a member of that one thing?"
"That''s a great question Ob." Vincent said, impressed, looking at Ob, "I''m not sure, Babe?"
"There are some who wanted to serve with the federation but not go into the world like mavericks or explorers." Abigail began to explain, "They wanted to be defenders, they wanted to stay close to home to protect from all the dangers that the world has to offer. They felt that being a maverick was not worth the grueling assessment if they were just going to be at home. As for explorer''s there are many who like being scouts and like being cartographers, they want a life full of adventure and exploring not completing quests and killing monsters. They also did not want to participate in that assessment. They wanted to do something less taxing but more preparation for the life they chose."
"Okay, so Mavericks came first?" Ob asked.
"Yes but only for a year. Originally they were just Crusader''s no difference." She responded.
"Then there was a party." Vincent stated darkly. "They are known as the Warlord''s Brigade. A vile group of blood thirsty beings. A mixture of many races but their leader, she was a Gorgon."
"Gorgon, as in creatures with snakes as hairs, Gorgon?" Ob said out loud, amazed. "Do they turn people to stone?"
Abigail and Vincent shared a look with each other, "No¡ why would that turn people to stone?" Abigail asked slowly.
"Well, only if they look into the eyes of the Gorgon; it''s a myth from my world," Ob responded.
"No, that''s not what they do here. Anyways," Vincent continued, "There were 12 in all. They would go around declaring themselves kings and queens of small towns; anyone who did not obey was slaughtered. Before they turned to the evil side, this group wanted a different federation. They wanted to be in a different federation than those who defended and those who explored. They found all of them to be weak. They started their own federation, and at first, it was full of psychos who just wanted to justifiably kill.
But then, a few decades or so after that, there was a change. A new wave of Mavericks took over and spent time changing the perception. Being a Maverick meant having the freedom and power to do whatever you wanted. True Mavericks are called on when there is a war between magical creatures and cities. A true Maverick will enter caves and raid them if an explorer deems it too dangerous." Vincent said with a gleam of pride in his eyes. Then his eyes darkened, "but then, the Gorgon came back, and she hated what she saw. Started attacking fresh Mavericks she deemed unworthy."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"I see, does she still attack folks?" Ob asked.
"She did," Vincent confirmed, "she would sit outside big towns around the Maverick federation HQ and would try to attack their auras; if they could defend off the attack, she would leave them be; if they couldn''t, she would take them out right there, right then."
"Hmm okay." Ob said flatly.
"This is not the time to be a hero, Ob," Eclipse said from the corner, where she likes to hang out, "If I have learned anything about you over these last few days, it is that you are a man of justice and balance."
"She is level 93 Ob and has been in that tier for nearly a century. She cannot be defeated as easily as you think, it would take probably a hundred of you attacking at the same time to maybe knock her down." Abigail aided Eclipse''s warning.
"Yeah, yeah I hear you. I''m bold, not an idiot. I know my limits." He stated, getting up and getting ready to go pack up. "Let''s get going then, we have a long journey ahead of us.
Abigail sat as she heard those words, "Bold but not an idiot." It brought her back to when she was about to leave. "Be bold, be brave, but be wise. Don''t let your bravery turn you into a dead elf walking," an elderly voice told her. The voice was that of her grandmother. She had been heavily involved in Abigail''s upbringing, teaching her strength, patience, leadership, and more. Abigail loved her grandmother. She remembered the first time her grandmother taught her how to do magic. It was the best day for her; it was her 12th birthday, and she had been woken up by songbirds singing her name, as they did for elves on their birthdays.
Young Abigail rolled out of bed to storm clouds and a gray mist that sat atop the lush green forest surrounding her house. She didn''t stay in the castle with her family; she decided she did not want to live there, as it was too much for her. Instead, she stayed with her grandparents in their small cottage just inside the castle gates. The dark storm clouds were typical, and they created a great contrast to the deep green forest the trees provided; Abigail loved it. This was her kingdom; this was her home. With a big stretch, she headed out of her room to see her grandparents drinking tea and sitting next to a present on the table.
Abigail clearly remembers her excitement; she jumps up and down to find a small wand inside the box. It was no longer than 8 inches, but it held a good amount of magic potential. As she took the wand, she felt powers surge into her; her Natural powerset was being chosen; this is how it worked for elves when they were of age, and their magical potential had reached the focal point of being throughout her entire being, they would be given a magical item to act as a conduit. When this happened, their natural power would be unlocked.
As young Abigail sat there feeling the power grow and grow, she felt the manna burn on her skin, giving her a design known by all elves. The mark of an Enchantress, its design varied from elf to elf; it would all glow the color of the wielder''s aura. For Abigail, it glowed a teal blue; her mark looked like you were looking into a Kaleidoscope. The beauty of the marks glowing and slow movement was mesmerizing to look at. Abigail scratched at her shoulder where the mark lay. She thought about how it had changed her life and how grateful she was for this mark.
Her grandmother had told her on that day, that moment, as she looked at a young, scared Abigail, who did not want to be an Enchantress at the time, "Be brave, young one, be bold, but be wise." The same advice she had given her the day she was ready to leave almost 20 years later. She cherished that moment. It was then that Abigail decided that she was going to make a name for herself, that she was going to form her own party and not join someone else''s. This was the moment that Abigail became a leader, and she was determined not to fail and to be the wise one of the group.
After some time living in memories and thanking Lani, the group headed towards Andohull, Ob''s first big city.
"So," Ob began to ask, "are we walking, riding on something, running, driving, flying? How are we getting there?"
Vincent chuckled at the question, "Do you have any other mode of transportation besides your feet?"
"Well, I do have -"
"No." Eclipse said sharply, "You were heavy enough, Ob."
"Whatever," Ob said, looking dejected.
"We can purchase pegasus eventually, those would be the best companions for travel. Other than that, no we walk. Unless there is someone here who can teleport?" Abigail added.
The group began walking while continuing to engage in conversation. "Are there no vehicles here?" Ob asked.
"There are," and Abigail answered, "They are often bondable items, very similar to soul-links. You get an item that you can create a construct out of. They are rare, though; most people just use mounted creatures."
Ob nodded as they continued. They continued to walk. Ob felt that this was the appropriate time to address all the notifications he had been pushing off.
Attributes: Ob Jones
Vitality: 200
Speed: 135
Strength: 137 (+5 bonus)
Manna: 480/480 (+5 Bonus)
You have 83 attribute coins.
Damn, Ob thought, How do I earn attribute coins?
Coins are earned with leveling up.
15 coins for every tier increase scaled to the level system (15 for Normal to Bronze, 30 for Bronze to Silver, etc.)
5 coins for every total level increase
2 coins for every power level increase
1 coin for every skill level increase
Got it, Ob nodded, Another question, what do I do with these Explixers?
Item: Explixer
Consumable
Varied rarity
Use this to gain a small amount of exp to whatever skill you desire; you can only use this for skills, not powers or total level.
You have 10 XS
20 small
1 M
1 L
Would you like to use? Yes/No?
"Any downside to Explixers?" Ob asked the group.
"Nope, great to use when you are lower level, better to sell when you are higher." Abigail said.
Not yet. He gave the mental command. He decided to wait for the two other skills he had yet to unlock; he had a feeling they would be far behind.
Would you like to allocate attribute coins? Yes/No?
Yes. 30 to strength, 30 to manna, 10 to vitality, 13 to speed.
Vitality: 210
Speed: 148
Strength: 167 (+5 Bonus)
Manna: 510/510 (+5 Bonus)
"He is getting stronger," a mysterious voice said from the bushes in a whispered tone, "This might be our only chance to take out the Draconian." The way it said Draconian, it was as if it hurt to say the word.
"How could things be allies to those vile creatures? Only gods know." another voice sneered, "I am ready to take it out right now; just give the word Lord Grinly."
"Tell the troops to be ready for plan 66; it is time to attack." As Lord Grinly said, he paused and stood as he looked on. He stared at two solar eclipses staring back at him.
Chapter 17 - Pests
Ob stopped walking in his tracks. He had heard something in the bushes; he focused his senses and felt nothing. He was sure that there was something out there waiting for them. Following them. Eclipse looked up at Ob to try to sense what she was sensing, and she noticed the tension that riddled Ob''s face. She also sensed nothing.
That is what concerned her, nothing. How could she sense nothing? Even if there are no other beings, she should sense something: the wind, the grass, the trees; although those things are not sentient, they are alive. They should provide something; it was as if her senses were utterly cut off like she was in a void. "Ob," she thought to him alone, "Do you sense nothing too?" He nodded, slowly unsheathing Hades. It was clear he was not okay with this either. "I think we are about to get ambushed." She said to the whole group now.
Everyone paused, got into a stance, and began to prepare for battle. Abigail commanded that Eclipse and Ob move off away from the two of them. Creating a bigger distance between the four that could separate whatever is out there waiting for them.
Just like that, Ob and Eclipse bolted in different directions in a flash. Eclipse flew straight up, and Ob went left, readying his aura for this battle. Eclipse would be the scout from that height. She wouldn''t risk using dragon''s breath with all this foliage. The group was traveling on what looked like a nature walk. Tall redwood trees stood many feet in the air, they were separated from each other from a reasonable distance. Ivy covered the ground below the massive trees they spread across the ground. On the path the group had been walking on, there was short grass that looked like it had been walked on for a long time. A few paces behind the trees were berry bushes; it was not the right season to bear fruit. They were a deep green with blue streaks in the leaves. The bushes were thick and without thorns; it was an ideal spot to hide if that was what you wanted to do. It houses small creatures from any rain or storms that might enter into this forest. Eclipse, being a dragon of nature, could not destroy it with her fire breath; this left her limited in her attacks. Her fire breath was the most powerful attack she had.
Abigail saw Ob and Eclipse tense up. How strange, she thought; she hadn''t felt anything that would cause them to act like that. She looked at Vincent. The look on his face changed all her feelings of safety. Vincent''s face looked harsh. He was concentrating. He was trying to sense what was out there, and he, too, sensed nothing. Being a skilled hunter, he knew this to mean one thing: they were being hunted. Once Vincent saw the body language of his group, it all but confirmed it for him, they were going to need to be ready for a fight. He wasn''t sure how long. He listened to what Abigail had told the other two and got into his position beside his partner.
"I can''t sense anything," Vincent whispered to Abigail, "There has to be a lot of them. They are using a very strong sensory blocker. They would only do that if there were a lot of auras they needed to mask." Abigail didn''t respond. She just stared and kept tabs on where the other two went. As their healer, she needed to be sure that they were in her magic range.
The one they called Lord Grinly was upset. They had been spotted; how had they been spotted? How had that Draconian been aware of their presence? He spent a lot of money on that sensory blocker. He was told that it would hide their auras until they were ready to strike. Surely, he is going to have to pay a visit to that dealer once again. No one ever gets the better of the lord of the Maroon Goblins. Maroon Goblins are exactly how they sound; they are a race of goblins that are maroon. Goblins all share the same features, small creatures standing no taller than 4 feet tall. They are skinny, they are ugly. Their faces are all wrinkled with a long protruding nose as if they had been lying their whole lives. Their eyes were sharp yellow, capable of seeing in the dark. Their teeth were all sharp and pointed, and their ears were pointed back towards their head. This specific race of goblins, however, is maroon. No one knows how they turned maroon from the typical green. This tribe of goblins is known to be the most ruthless. They raid, they pillage, they rape, they slaughter, they eat. They are a force that wants to dominate the world. Led by their vile king, the Goblin King is a creature who will eat his subordinates for speaking out of turn. He has murdered his own children in front of the kingdom.
His only remaining offspring is Lord Grinly. Lord Grinly is large for a goblin, as most lords and kings are. His facial features were that of a goblin. His body matched that of a goblin as well; the only difference was he was standing just shy of 6 feet tall. He also wore clothes, while most goblins only wore cloth to cover up their private area; he wore chainmail, with golden plate leg armor and golden boots. He wielded a long sword, narrow but a few feet long. He didn''t like fighting, but he was not afraid of getting his armor and sword bloody.
As rightful prince and heir to the Maroon Goblin kingdom, it was his responsibility to lead the troops into whatever war they saw fit. Goblins were the superior species. After all, he thought to himself, everyone and everything shall bow down to us. This was no different. This was a time when he got to prove to his idiot father that goblins can dominate the world. Taking down a freshly minted Draconian and an astrological dragon will surely prove just that.
He sneered. Little pests. They were all little pests. No one understood the immense power that Lord Grinly had. He was strong, he was wise, he was good looking, yet he was told to be a lowly Lord while his father was alive. This will surely give him the crown and a seat on the throne in Crexding. Giving a grin that would give kids nightmares for weeks, full of sharp yellow teeth, he ordered them to begin their attack. "Attack them, knock them out, do not kill, we need to take them to my idiot father and kill them in front of all our people! Victory will be ours!"
With a war cry, a couple hundred goblins rushed out to attack. Hideous screeches and noises came from all directions, and the ambush had begun.
Eclipse dove down to be by Ob''s side. It was time for them to fight. Smoke now bellowed out her nose as she was getting ready to start attacking. Claws bared, she landed on two goblins with her front claws, pushing them through their throats, dead in an instant. She threw the goblins at a group, knocking them over and giving her a little more space. She swung her massive tail, striking a few behind her, not killing but doing significant damage. She lunged again, catching one in her mouth, and she bit down hard, crushing the little beast in her jaw. She spat it out and coughed, "ugh, that tasted disgusting," she said out loud. She bobbed and weaved through the horde of goblins, slashing and stabbing. Snatching up some in her mouth and killing them in an instant. She was good, she was efficient, she was prepared to kill all of them if it came to that.
Ob was also doing just fine. As the battle commenced and he saw a group of goblins running towards him, he first thought disgusting little things, then he prepared Hades. With a burst of manna, he pushed out several light bolts. The bolt of lights looked like a crescent off-white blade being thrown in the air. On impact, it would erupt into a small white cloud, dealing significant damage. Each bolt could hit two or three goblins at a time; the small white cloud would hide the next attack coming. As Ob laid out a couple dozen, he watched as the little beasties crawled over their now-dead companions, charging him. He got into a stance for the next wave. He shot one more light bolt, but this time, he followed the bolt and attacked through the small white cloud.
Abigail saw the goblins charge, "Damn damn damn, why goblins, I hate goblins," she cursed under her breath. Goblins and elves are notorious for being enemies; they are weird cousins. It is as if the elves were born of beauty and grace, whereas the goblins were born of ugliness and deceit. The goblins stormed towards her and Vincent, and with several spells, she sent the goblins into many invisible walls. The goblins smashed into them, toppling over; none of these were damage dealing but provided her partner enough time to let loose some arrows. She watched as goblin after goblin fell with arrows in their heads, eyes, chest, or even mouth; how Vincent managed to shoot one in the mouth was beyond her.
She wanted to help deal with the damage; she wanted to help them attack. With a deep, calming breath, she remembered how she felt attacking Ob that one day in the cave; she remembered the rage; she remembered the manna coursing through her veins. She pictured that same thing happening but channeled it into her fingertips and sent them toward the goblins behind her and Vincent. A teal-green haze flew out of her fingertips and engulfed the swarm of goblins behind them; they all started coughing and wheezing. Some immediately dropped dead on the spot, "I-I I DID IT!" Abigail shouted, with a huge sinister smile on her face, "Now, I can do some damage. Give me your best shot, you little bastards."
Vincent briefly looked back and saw the haze; he had to do a double-take. Did that just come from Abigail? Did she finally figure out how to attack and cause damage? "Hell, yeah, Abs," He said excitedly while he continued to fire arrow after arrow at other goblins. "With the bows of the ancestors, fire plenty," he chanted his spell. As he fired that arrow, every centimeter it traveled doubled; one became two, two became four, four became eight, and so on. This effectively eliminated a considerable amount of the goblins in front of them. They were winning. They were beating these goblins.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Lord Grinly was not happy. Why were his troops worthless? Why could they not take down four low-level bronze-tier pests? Did he, the glorious prince, have to get his hands dirty? Did he, the superior being, need to step in to correct the failures of his troops? No, he thought, I will wait and see. ¡°Here,¡± he said out loud, "Grow strong, grow big, grow goblin, grow." He chanted a spell that spread across the battlefield. Just then, the maroon goblins all shrieked. They were writhing in pain, but they were growing, growing, growing. The goblins had transformed into hobgoblins, bigger and stronger variants of goblins. Hobgoblins would not be taken down so easily. This shifted the battle. The goblins'' levels all increased one tier higher, thus increasing the damage they dealt and reducing the damage they defended.
"Dammit all!" Abigail swore. "We have a problem, hobgoblins are much worse. Come together and form up."
The group all listened. Following Abigail''s orders, the four of them were all in a circle now, getting ready to defend their lives. Ob felt his aura in his belly, the dragon''s fire. Rather than letting it come out of his mouth, he channeled it into his scythe. He slashed his scythe, and a massive wall of blue fire was released towards the enemies. It engulfed the hobgoblins. They were burning but still walking; all that damage barely halted their progress. Ob knew at that moment they were not going to win this fight, but he was not going down without a fight. He ready his scythe and jumped into a shadow towards his opponents. He started swinging his scythe in a beautiful dance; like a button dancer, he was twirling, slashing, and stabbing the newly transformed goblins with every action. It was a sight to see; the black blade slashing at such speed that it looked like the night sky was trying to attack; each slash, each movement took a hobgoblin''s life. Their black blood would spurt out all over as they fell lifeless.
Ob was getting tired, though; his stamina and manna were draining rapidly. With a couple more exhaustive swipes, he heads back to the group to recover and defend a bit more.
Eclipse saw the firewall that Ob had let loose; she saw that he had not done that much damage. That concerned her, that should have incinerated them on the spot. She took a deep breath and told everyone to close their eyes. She used solar Eclipse; the ability was blinding, causing all the hobgoblins to stumble over each other. She then used her ice breath to freeze the ground beneath their feet; once again, they were struggling to keep their footing. Eclipse launched towards them once again, slashing and biting all the hobgoblins in the way. She killed quite a few, but the numbers and their strength were getting overwhelmed. A lot quicker than she had anticipated, they had recovered from the blindness. Disappointed, she headed back to the group to be there to defend. They were exhausted and overran.
Vincent was running out of arrows; he put them down and pulled out his hunting knife. It was about 13 inches long and made of sharp obsidian. It could cut through anything. He went to work, slashing, stabbing, and chopping hobgoblins to bits. The enemy was growing stronger, and the attacks would be doing less damage than they used to. He knew that pretty soon, these attacks would be fruitless. He ran back to the group and would just defend there; he could make a break for it and be successful in running away. He was not going to do that; he was not going to leave his party behind.
Abigail was exhausted; her manna was running very low, and she had to spare some so she could heal them on the off chance they were taken prisoners and not killed. She felt like a failure; she could not successfully help her team and her party defend these goblins. There must be a goblin prince or king here commanding this army. That spell. That spell was way too strong by any of the lower-ranking goblin commanders. That is what changed the course of the battle; that is what took their advantage. She possibly could purge the spell, but that many goblins in that short amount of time would completely drain her manna if she could even do it. The attempt alone would wreck her, let alone if it were to be successful. Her mind started racing. Goblins weren''t known to kill on the battlefield. They were known to take them to their goblin city, starve them, torment them, then eat them. She thought their highest rates of survival would be if they were taken, but goblins were proud. They would not accept surrender; they had to take their victims.
"Everyone, listen and listen carefully," Abigail said through dragon speech. "We have to let them take us. I am sure that their commander will make his way out sooner or later. Goblins torture and consume, they do not kill on the battlefield. Unless, we show that we are giving up. We are all low on manna and stamina, conserve the rest and begin recharging it. We are going to be in for a long few days, maybe even weeks. Reduce your attack speeds and let them converge; Ob, does this take much manna to continue to use dragon speak?"
"With the entire group, not that much but still use it. I can communicate with Eclipse though, no matter the distance."
"Understood, they will likely separate us. I am not sure how we can find each other in the city. I would assume that Ob and Vincent would go together then Eclipse and myself would be in our own places. Eclipse, you will be killed first. You probably should retreat into your soul home."
"I will." Eclipse replied, "Ob this will allow me to help you recover in secret more; good luck, my friends. Tell them I left you behind." Suddenly, the eclipse wormhole appeared, and she stepped through, disappearing. Ob''s eyes, unbeknownst to the goblins, changed colors to white. He could feel Eclipse in his soul, working to share her magical potential to recover his manna; it was working, and his manna was increasing fast.
As Ob looks on, several nets are launched towards them; in their best acting, the group all get caught under the net. The net was infused with some sort of magic to prevent teleportation; they were trapped, and the goblins were coming.
Lord Grinly was ecstatic he did it. He had successfully taken down the Draconian and his friends. The dragon left, which was a bummer, but that''s what dragons do; they abandon people. Why would anyone be an ally of one? It was beyond him. He chose not to think further about the decisions of the lesser races anyway. He ordered his goblins to capture them with nets; it was time for him to become king of the kingdom. This would finally be enough for the idiotic counsel to see how great he is, how great he has always been, and give him the throne.
He walked over to his newly caught prey; it was time to gloat. It was time to inform them of who their conqueror was. He stood over them; why would he kneel to the level of these pests? After all, he was superior to them, "Well, well, well, Draconian," he mocked, "looks like your little dragon friend ran away, left you to die. Serves you right," he spat, "Dragons are vile beasts that don''t deserve to breathe the same air that we do. Nasty creatures who think they are superior, yet they are not." He began laughing as the rest of the goblins, the spell wearing off, joined in.
"If you are superior, why did you need an army of 200 hundred to take us down?" Ob asked, pissed off. That comment received a swift kick to his ribs, cracking a few in the process.
"You dare speak to me, rodent!" the goblin spat after kicking Ob in the ribs, "keep talking and I''ll break all of your ribs."
"Such a strong goblin," Ob mocked, "talk a big game when his opponent is trapped. Kicking them when you know we cannot defend or retaliate."
"SILENCE!" lord Grinly roared, "I am lord Grinly, the prince of the maroon goblins. You shall show respect, you will not speak until spoken too. Do I make myself clear?"
"This is the behavior of a child, not of a prince." Ob said coldly, looking the goblin in the eyes. He then turned his head as if looking at the prince would make him sick. For that, he received two swift kicks to the ribs.
"I cannot wait to teach you respect, you fool." lord Grinly grinned a snake''s grin. "Take them away. Put the men in one group and the elf in another." There was a rumbling noise coming from behind the captured group. Three carts were being pulled by goblins. They locked their captured foes onto the cart and began walking away. They were put in handcuffs. That suppressed the magical abilities of all that were held within them. The goblins took the weapons of the party and put them onto a different cart.
"What the hell was that?" Abigail asked, enraged through dragon speak. "You just made your life, our lives, much harder with that little stunt. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking," Ob replied, grimacing as the bumpy ride hurt his ribs with every bump. "That he was arrogant and emotional. Emotion will cause him to not think logically. He clearly knows about Draconians. What he should also know is that dragons are insanely loyal. To see the dragon leave, if he was thinking with logic, he had to assume that the dragon would come back to find its ally. Instead he kicked me. Completely forgetting about the dragon that was with us, who is currently recovering and helping me recover my manna."
"That is quite smart actually." Abigail conceded, "We might be able to escape after all."
"We will escape Abigail. Vincent, Eclipse, and I will come and find you as soon as possible. After all, we have an amazing hunter, who is head over heels for you. We will find you." Vincent simply nodded, his eyes filled with fury. If these ugly little creatures touched his girlfriend, he would destroy all of them without remorse. "Keep that rage controlled there, friend. Keep it under control," Ob said to his friend.
"Ob you should know. Elves and Goblins do not like each other. I fear I have less time than y''all do. Escape quickly, kill this arrogant prick, and find me FAST." She emphasized that last word empathically. "Vincent, I love you. I will see you soon. Ob, stay safe and continue to be smart." As she said those words, her cart took a turn, and she was carted off into the dark hole.
Chapter 18 - Integrity
"I said no," a familiar deep voice said, "You cannot see her Oscar-Blaine. This is the price you paid for abandoning our family in the time of need, you selfish gold digger."
"I''m a gold digger now?" Oscar responded calmly, "how is that? Because y''all chose to adopt me? I didn''t ask for that, I didn''t ask to be abandoned either. The only thing I have honestly ever asked from you and mom, is to see Daisy. It has been five years."
"Her name is Blaire, she is not your mother," Blaise snapped, "you made the choice, and with your choice, you lost your privilege to see Daisy. She doesn''t even want to see you anyways!"
Oscar took a calming, deep breath This is not the time, he thought to himself, this is not the time.
The dream shifted to two years ago when Oscar was 25. This was nearly 7 years since he left the house he was raised in. When Ob realized what this dream was, he got very sad, and guilt started to plague his emotions.
"How long have you known?" Oscar asked quietly. He was on the phone in his studio apartment; he had just gotten back from a workout when he received a text from his eldest sister. She apparently really needed to talk.
"I just found out," his sister replied in a shaken voice, "Just like you, I assume, once I left the homestead they were furious and cut all communication off. I loved her too Ob, just as much as I loved you. You understand why I also had to leave, right?"
"Yes, of course. I am not angry with you, Tracy, I left the same reason you did. You saw how awful Blaise and Blaire are."
"Uh-oh, I know that tone. Ob don''t, don''t do it, please."
"They are going to pay, they are going to pay. Whether they killed her or she died tragically. Whatever the actual reason is, I aim to find out. I aim to find out how long she has been dead."
"Oh, I found that out. She has been dead for 7 years." Tracy''s voice trailed off slowly as she said the words. She had known that was just around when Ob left. It was around the time that he told her to come with and she said she would be fine. Just like that, she was gone almost as quickly as he was gone. "Ob Ob, are you there?" there was a long pause. She only heard one word, spoken so softly, so broken, the way the word came out it was as if his heart had shattered.
The only word was "Daisy."
Ob woke up crying. He hated that memory; he had stored it up in a lock box in the depths of his memory. He did not want to be reminded of how he failed Daisy. How HE let her die. If he hadn''t left home, she would still be there. He was convinced his adoptive parents did something to her, maybe not intentionally, but definitely something to lead to her death. Daisy and Tracy were the only two members of the family to whom Ob really connected. The oldest and the youngest, he chuckled at that. They were some weird generational trio, with Tracy being 15 years older than Ob. Ob is 7 years older than Daisy, and Daisy is 22 years younger than Tracy. The three of them would hang out often as Tracy pretty much took care of Daisy until she was 5. That was when Tracy left; she couldn''t handle being at the homestead anymore, and that was the last time Daisy ever saw Tracy.
Ob wipes his eyes and clears his head. He was in the goblin prison. They had been brought here to the city, and he heard some goblins call Crexding. The Great Goblin City. It was here that he guessed several races of goblins lived, not just the maroon ones that ambushed them. He had recovered from the battle; it was a few days ago. He and Vincent had been getting fed plenty and were given plenty of water to drink. Vincent said it was a way to make sure we weren''t too stringy to eat.
"I think that we may be in these cages without exercise and eating all these fatty foods for a while. I think they want us to be more fat." Vincent had explained in a low whisper to his prison mate.
"I don''t think we will last that long." Ob responded, "That lord grinly wants to make a big political move, and I am thinking that will be soon. Stop eating the food; if you can, we can let Eclipse out, and she can eat it for us."
Vincent nodded. He had recalled hearing about the lord''s plans to be the new acting king of this kingdom. He remembered the stories he heard about the maroon goblins when he was growing up. His family would always warn him before he went on hunts, "be weary of the maroon little beasties," they would tell him. He had gone on thousands of hunts, thousands, and he had never encountered them before. He was sure it was just a myth as he was getting older and successfully completing hunts without any interference, not even a trace of the little beasties.
While sitting in the cell, he couldn''t help but think of his family. He missed them. His grandmother talked about how proud of him they all were. How he was the one who had done good for them. He was carrying their legacy. That is why she had gifted him the legacy bow, after all. He loved how his mom would always care for him. Vincent was an only child. Unusual for hunters to have only one, but there were complications with his mother and his birth. His parents then decided to have only one, and they were okay with that. Vincent was well-loved and well-trained. His father was a gruff man, but he always showed him love. He wondered how his father would react to him getting caught, how he would react to not running and saving himself but his team.
He had replayed that moment over and over in his head. Was that the right thing to do? Was that the move he should have made? He was a hunter, after all; he could find them should they have taken them. Perhaps he could have even freed himself. "No, Vincent," he thought to himself, "that is too many unknown variables. With Ob, I am sure we can figure something out." he turned to see his friend in his typical meditative state. He did that a lot, especially in this prison cell. He would sit and practice his aura and soul skills, "The man is a hard worker; I will give him that."
After some time, Ob sat up and looked Vincent in the eyes, "Could you have escaped?" He asked him
"Yes, yes, I could have," he replied.
"Well, thanks for staying." Ob said, "I was watching as we went down here. I think they open a portal. Not entirely sure, though, but I am pretty sure that is what happened."
"So I wouldn''t have been able to follow you guys?"
"Likely not," Ob said, shaking his head, "I think that is why the leader was fine being cocky about Eclipse leaving; he knew that there was no following."
"But he has no idea-"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"None and we intended to keep that way." He said sternly.
Vincent liked Ob, he was brilliant, and he seemed to understand this world a lot. He wondered what he was like before he got here. Ob acted calm in almost all situations; it was rare, but it was cool. Even now, in the face of being eaten, he is calm and thinking things through with logic and precision. He looked back at his friend, who had continued to meditate again. "Don''t beat yourself up for staying; that was the right call, Vincent, strength in numbers," Ob told him before his eyes were closed.
You have leveled up Aura Manipulation. Aura Manipulation is now level 5
You have leveled up Soul Manipulation. Soul Manipulation is now level 6
Your soul''s power has increased. Hades has gained the ability to perform spiritual attacks. Hades can now be conjured with soul usage.
New attribute unlocked
Integrity
Integrity is an attribute that controls the power of the soul. The higher the level of integrity, the more damage spiritual attacks do. This attribute also has a capacity pool similar to manna. The lower the pool, the less max damage.
Integrity 250/250
Status: Celestial transition - completed
You have completed the transition to be a celestial. You are no longer a human. Your aura makeup will now be read differently. By reaching a high enough Aura and Soul level, you have unlocked the new attribute, which has completed the entire transition.
New Ability Unlocked
Celestial Force
Being a Celestine is a rare and powerful honor. With the ability to manipulate souls, aura, magic, and the physical world, you have reached a harmonious state. By achieving the perfect balance, you can release a harmonious attack that will deal significant damage to whatever it hits. Destroy enemies, destroy gates, destroy anything if you use this ability on.
Ob''s entire body started to glow bright light blue. You could see the light interact with another brown light. The two were swirling each other in a lovely helix. As the light first appeared, you could see more brown. As the process continued, the brown light disappeared, and the light blue started to become more prominent. Eventually, the light blue had completely taken over and was the dominating colored light inside Ob. He felt strange. Not strange, different. He felt a connection to the world around him.
He could now feel the air a lot more; he could feel things he had never experienced. It was as if everything had an aura. Everything was producing levels of magic. He could feel the magic; he could feel the power in everything. It was as if he was one with the world.
"Whoa," Ob said, staring at his hands in disbelief, "this is a wild feeling. This feeling is, insane, I feel everything. I see everything, I sense the magical potential in things. How is this possible?"
"Congratulations, you are no longer human." Vincent said, shaking his hand, "Humans have some of the more basic perception abilities. Celestines have the highest amongst mortals."
Highest amount of perceptive abilities, Ob thought, and even more training I have to do. "I see," he said, "I know how we can get out of here now. I even think I know a way we can find and get Abigail."
"Really?! How?!" Vincent asked, perking up.
"I can now sense the magical potential in the bars that they used. I think I can spend time understanding what it all means. It''ll take some practice but I am sure I can learn to understand. What I am thinking is once I learn, I will be able to break us free of these bars. Then I will also see if I can expand my perceptions to sense an elf. Her magic potential will feel differently than all these other goblins." Ob explained to Vincent.
"Do you know what different potential feels like?" Vincent asked.
"I think so. You know how you can identify someone with their potential. I am thinking that every magical race has their own magical potential makeup. Abigail has a lot of magical potential and hers is very specific. It should feel unlike everything in here." Ob stated.
"She also has three powersets as opposed to none that the goblins have. That could significantly increase her potential," Vincent added.
"Correct." Ob said, "Okay, let me spend some time training and understanding."
"Do what you have to do, Ob," Vincent said and began taking a nap.
Ob sat in his meditative pose. He began to breathe slowly, controlling every breath. With every controlled breath, he became more calm. He started to project his senses. Magical potential looked like little bits of energy that would flow around an object. The prison bar cells were solid gray and made of some kind of tough metal; Ob could see a small maroon light that looked like a small stream flowing up the bar. Each bar had this tiny light. Ob guessed that it was enforced with some sort of magic to make it stronger.
As Ob continued to push out his senses, he looked at Vincent, Vincent''s magical potential looked like 5 sizeable orange light streams that flowed around him. They were the size of a rattlesnake in thickness and in length. Their flow was rhythmic and calming. Ob guessed it was because he was also rhythmic and calming. Ob tried to push his senses out any further but was unable to sense anything in his immediate mind that would show him any magical potential.
Ob tried to push his senses out really far to see if he could find something, anything that would allow him to sense Abigail, but no luck. He figured she was far and likely on the other side of the castle they were imprisoned in.
Vincent began dreaming of Abigail. He really loved this elf. He had since he was 15. He remembered what it was that caused him to fall in love with the tall, beautiful elf. They were walking around the castle walls.
"I am not sure I want to run the kingdom, Vin," a young Abigail, walking on a stone wall with her arms wide for balance, said, "I want to travel the world. Mother says there is not much out there for a women like me."
"What is a woman like you?" a young Vincent, walking on solid ground next to her, said.
"I am not sure. Perhaps one who is prim and proper. Who have learned perfect ettiquet and has had all the diplomatic training I have had. It is so boring! Vin, I cannot stand any of those lessons. I got my magic, I am an enchantress. I have to be able to explore and use my powers to save the world, not sit in a castle."
She paused, looked at him, and grabbed his hands. His heart skipped a beat, and he looked at his friend''s eyes. Her forest green eyes stared back at him with excitement. His heart started racing, his hands getting a little bit clammy. He felt like there were knots twisting in his stomach. The way Abigail had looked at him had unlocked something deep inside him he had been pushing down and hiding. He was absolutely totally in love with this elf.
"You and I, Vincent, you and I will travel the world and form our own crusader party." she let go of his hands and leaned against the stone wall she was just walking on. "The world is full of beauty and wonder, Vin." She said that as her long white hair was flowing in the wind. She looked like a model leaning against the wall. Vincent smiled a deep, genuine smile.
"Then let''s explore together Abs. You and I, together." He said softly. The dream shifted, and he saw the older Abigail. She was covered in filth and in a muddy prison cell. Abigail, he thought. She looked up directly at where he was perceiving seeing her. She looked up.
Vincent''s eyes shot open. "Ob," Vincent said, "I know where she is."
Chapter 19 - How Fast Can You Run
Abigail hated her cell. The goblins intentionally put her in a dirty cell. It was full of grim and mud; it smelt awful. She hated being dirty. She also hated being trapped in a prison. However, she hadn''t felt too different now than she felt trapped. She felt like she was still being forced to be that small, proper little girl elf her mom had always envisioned. Her dad had always wanted Abigail to be the next heir to the throne. That is not something she wanted either. Both her parents, although loving and extremely caring, were at times overbearing. The king and queen of their kingdom, after all. Abigail''s thoughts were interrupted when another maroon goblin walked in and offered her food. She went to take it and received a hard kick to her guts; she spit out more blood. And glared at the vile creature.
She ate her food, found the driest spot in the prison cell, and began to sleep.
She dreamed a dream she had remembered from when she was a teen, the time when she finally accepted her feelings for him. She was with Vincent. They were walking around the castle walls. They were talking about what they wanted to do with their lives. "I''m not sure Abs. I think that perhaps I don''t want to stay with my family. I love my folks I really do but there has to be more. I want to be an explorer!" Vincent was telling Abigail as he watched her balance on the stone wall.
"Would your parents be supportive of that Vin?" She asked.
"I think so, my dad has been training me my whole life. The moment I could walk he was having me stalk prey. My mom on the other hand. She might not like it at first, but maybe my dad could help convince her to let me go." Vincent had said, stopping in his tracks. Abigail stopped and looked at him. She liked his look; his face was so gentle, and his voice was so smooth. She enjoyed how he could walk so silently. He had always been a solid friend, but every time, as of late, she looked at him, she felt leaves turning in her stomach.
When she first noticed these feelings, she had told her grandmother. Her grandmother said that it was a natural thing to feel, as Vincent was a handsome young man. Vincent wanted to leave, and Abigail didn''t want to stay. She stared at him for a bit, then kept walking.
Abigail shared how she felt about leaving and wanting to explore the world. After some time, she finally decided to test something.
She paused, looked at him, and grabbed his hands. She felt a tiny spark from his fingertips and went straight to her heart. It fluttered. His hazel eyes stared back at him with an interested look. She felt like she was going to just lunge and kiss him right then and there, but she heard her grandma say patience. She didn''t even know if he felt the same way as him. The way he looked back at her confirmed everything inside of her; she was totally in love with this hunter.
"You and I, Vincent, you and I will travel the world and form our own crusader party." she let go of his hands and leaned against the stone wall she was just walking on. "The world is full of beauty and wonder, Vin." After she said this, she turned around to look at him. His tribal tattoos were really cool and added a certain flare to his look. She noticed that he wasn''t overly muscular, and she appreciated that. Elves were slender beings; not a lot of them were very big. She loved his look. She loved how caring and calm he was all the time. Abigail hadn''t realized she had stopped dreaming and now was just listing things she loved about her boyfriend. When she suddenly heard her name, she turned around to see nothing, but she knew one thing was certain. That was Vincent.
"What do you mean you found her?" Ob asked, staring back at Vincent.
"I know where they are keeping her, well at least a vague idea," he replied a little sheepishly.
"A vague idea is much better than where we started, so I''ll take it; whatchu got?" Ob stated.
"She was in a cell that was muddy, looked like there was water that was leaking into the cell. So I am thinking she is further underground near the moat."
"The moat, okay so she is on the other side of the castle. I remember them taking us to these cells, after we reappeared from the portal."
"Okay so how do we get out of here. I don''t have a weapon and I cannot cast spells without my bow."
"You can use my scythe," Ob said nonchalantly.
"You have it?! When did you get it?" Vincent asked.
"When I leveled up my soul level, I got the ability to conjure it, so it returned to my inventory as soon as that happened. You can use it, just won''t be able to use any magic," Ob said as he pulled out Hades and handed it to Vincent.
"Oh, I know how to use this bad boy," He said, grinning while giving a few good slashes and twirls. "How do we get out of this cell?"
"I got that," Ob stated. He concentrated on the magical potential that he saw in the bars. He began to pull the potential from it, syphing the magic into his own manna pool. This was something that he could do with his aura manipulation; it allowed him to take the aura or magical potential from things and use it on his own. The things have to be lower level than he was, but a bar had no level, so he could take it for himself.
Once he felt all the aura leave the bar, he kicked it hard, and the bars went flying. Vincent smiled at his mighty friend. It feels like day after day, his level scales exponentially. How does he do it? How does he get so strong so quickly? Ob has been in this world for nearly 3 weeks now and has managed a lot.
"You can sneak right?" Ob asked Vincent.
"Yes, you can sneak into the shadows right?" He responded.
"Yep, but I don''t want to use too much manna in case there are manna readers."
"Smart, I''ll follow your lead."
"Bet," the pair started out of the prison cell. They noticed that they were not the only prisoners; elves, orcs, a unicorn, and several other creatures that Ob had never seen before. The cells were small, about 200/250 sq ft. Barely any room to move. They all looked miserable. Ob felt some pang of guilt. Then anger shot through his eyes. What kind of sick monsters do that?
"I know this is hard to bear. We can take them out later. Right now we have to focus on our objective." Ob didn''t respond; he simply stared with a hot intensity at the prisoners. He kept walking, following Vincent.
The two followed along the long corridor of the prison; it was dark, with one flickering magically infused candlelight for every 10 prison cells. They passed by what seemed like a hundred cells. As they approached the end, there was a large brass door in front of them. Vincent heard voices; he signaled Ob to halt and prepare for a quiet attack, "do your thing.. Count to 5, then jump out and attack," he instructed Ob. Vincent hid using his hunting skills. Vincent lowered his heart rate and steadied his breathing; he became so still that he blended in with the shadows of the prison cells. Ob jumped into the shadows to hide from the goblin guards. The door swung open, and two small maroon goblins with spears walked through, banging on the prison cells. "Food is coming through you pests!" one of them shouted.
Ob looked at the guard; there was a key ring; he had hoped Vincent had also seen this. "One.. two.. Three... Four.. five!" He jumped out of the shadows right behind the guard on the left, grabbed the goblin''s neck, and twisted hard, snapping its neck. The goblin dropped to the floor without a sound. Ob looked up to see the other guard slide off the blades of Hades. The prisoners looking on started to cheer; finally, something, someone was avenging them; there was a chance that they would not be tortured thoroughly. Vincent grabbed the keys from the fallen guard, and they continued on their journey.
"We need to find where they keep all female prisoners," Ob told Vincent, "They have to kept in a different area, probably feeding them different things."
"We should also consider if there are elves held separately," he responded.
"Good call, any idea where we would find that? Or even where out is?" Ob looked back and looked ahead; they were running in the same corridor for what seemed like forever. He noticed that there were no stairs, no tunnels, no exits or entrances; it just seemed like a brass door in every 100 prison cells or so. Something is wrong, Ob thought to himself, this doesn''t make sense. There is no pattern to this. He stopped running and came to a halt.
Vincent, no longer hearing the footsteps of his friend, stopped and looked back, "What are you doing Ob?"
"You notice how we are just running with no change in direction or elevation?"Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"I have yes, it must be really long." Vincent responded.
"We have passed three brass doors," Ob began to explain, "each brass door is following about 100 prison cells; each prison cell is about 12ish feet. That is a very long corridor. Too long. I think they teleport in and out. The other guards said food was coming, we should wait on the other side before they walked in to see if the food transport uses a portal." Vincent considered the idea and thought that it was more probable than just running for hours on end.
"Okay, I will follow your lead."
"How fast can you run?"
"Very." He stated simply that determination was written all over his face.
"Good, let''s head back two corridors and see if we can catch them." Ob responded, preparing to sprint. The two of them bolt off, leaving a trail of dust in their wake. The two of them were running about 100 meters every 9 seconds. Shortly after they began, they arrived at their original corridor, and they both returned to their hiding positions. Ob went into the shadow realm, and Vincent went into his dark hiding spot. They sat and waited. What seemed like an hour passed by when, finally, Ob felt the magic in the area begin to shift. He appeared out of the shadows and looked at Vincent. It was time to go.
A maroon wormhole void appeared, and out walked two more maroon goblins, wearing chefs'' hats and aprons, with a cart of food. Just before the wormhole closed, the two men stepped into it with caution, unaware of what was on the other side.
Abigail was growing tired of being a prisoner. She was sick of being stuck in this filthy water. She couldn''t see, but she had felt that the prison bars had been magically infused to suppress magic. She couldn''t use her powers to clean herself. She was surprised that no goblins came in to take advantage of their new pretty prisoner. It had been some time since she had even seen a guard.
As if thinking it brought on the curse, in walked lord Grinly. "Hello, there, pretty." His grin was that of a predator falling on wounded, juicy prey. "I am sorry it took me so long to get here, love. I had important business to attend to." He said as he slowly approached her.
She growled internally. This was her worst nightmare, being filthy and trapped in a cage with a goblin. She wanted to puke. She was not afraid. She was pissed off. What this stupid goblin didn''t know was that she was a crown princess, and that meant she knew how to fight. She knows how to kill without weapons. She was not some weak little helpless pretty face. She was a badass who could kill you in 15 different ways without a weapon. She was well-rested and well-fed. Abigail knew one thing that was absolutely certain, she had to kill this goblin.
It was decided then. He had to die. Being a healer, killing something was against her nature, but she would gladly do it so nothing awful happened to her. The lord was bigger than her and presumably stronger. She had to be smart.
Lord Grinly was eager at this prospect; he had caught the most beautiful elf he had ever seen. She would be excellent; he had to have her. Letting his lust cloud his judgment and logic, he walked inside with his weapons and guards outside. Once he entered that cell, his magic would be turned off as well; he had forgotten about that. He walked in and reached out to grab his next victim; she ducked. He smiled wider; he didn''t mind a little playing.
Abigail ducked under his outstretched arms and kicked him into the private area. He yelped in pain and bent over, grabbing them, trying to catch his breath. Abigail then sent an uppercut right into his diaphragm, causing him to lose what little breath he was holding. The prince was now on the ground wheezing, unable to catch his breath. He looked up incredulously; how dare this pest attack him like that! He gathered his breath right before she landed another blow. He grabbed her by the hair and threw her against the cell bars. "Fiesty, but that kick is going to cost you." He straightened himself up. Lord Grinly was level 27, silver tier. He could recover much quicker.
He used this to his advantage. Before Abigail could even register what had happened as she hit the wall, she felt her hair being grabbed again. "You stupid little pest," the goblin breathed his foul breath on her neck. "You''re going to pay for that. It''s a good thing you are a healer, so you can heal me right up."
Abigail, squirming in pain, managed, "Rot in hell." She put her feet against the wall and started to run up it. She flipped over on top of the prince, who still had her hair in hand. She started throwing elbows at the prince''s head. Elbow after elbow connected with her enemy, and her hair started to get released. Once she felt it was enough, she jumped off him and went to the other side. Blood was pouring down his face. She tied her hair up in an active bun. The prince looked awful, face covered in blood and painted with rage.
"I may be a pest." She said, staring at her opponent, "but even a minor wasp can kill a griffin."
Lord Grinly had found the hidden switch to turn off the cells'' magic-blocking spells. He was sick of this elf, thinking she could get the better of him. His powerset was not extensive, but he wanted to make her heal him. He didn''t see the battle fully. He was too busy watching the draconian. He didn''t know she could poison.
Abigail felt her magic be restored; as if she had magical shackles released, she could feel the magic in her body. She smiled. She was going to enjoy this now. She lunged at the prince, dodging his punch. She grabbed his leg and released some of the toxins into his body from that contact point. He hadn''t noticed. She jumped onto his back, grabbed his head, and started inflicting him with toxins. She poured half of her manna into that attack; she was going to poison him one way or another. He grabbed her by the hair and threw her across the room. She slammed into the wall, blood trickling out her mouth now. She wiped her mouth clear of the blood. She noticed the prince was starting to get wobbly. The poison was going into effect. He went to turn on the magic blockers again, hoping this would stop the poison. It did not. Enraged, he roared, "Now, you must die!" His eyes were that of a monster. Ready to slaughter his prey.
The area Vincent and Ob had entered looked like a busy train station, but instead of trains, there were portals. Each portal was labeled, and each portal led to different parts of the prison. There were no guards around. Vincent found this peculiar. Vincent noticed that there was an abnormal amount of recent footprints heading into one portal. He couldn''t read it, but he gestured to Ob to see if he could translate it. Ob''s UI translated the label to read, "Special Prisoners, Female."
"That is where we need to go, I assume," Ob said.
"There are likely to be a lot of guards, I think you should go alone with stalker skill?" Vincent said, "bring her back safely, I''ll figure out which portal leads to where." He tossed the keys to Ob and told him to move.
Ob listened to his friend. He didn''t like the plan, but he knew it was a wise decision. Ob entered the portal and dove into the shadows right away. In the shadows, he spoke to Eclipse,
"Can you enter the shadows with me?"
"Not at bronze tier, I believe at silver you can bring other beings with you." She responded.
"Okay, are you ready to attack as soon as I leave the shadow realm? I sense a lot of auras in front of us. They are standing still. Two dragon''s breaths from the both of us should eliminate the lot."
"Be precise, Ob; how many do you sense?"
Ob focused his senses to detect that 7 guards were watching from outside a particular prison cell. Inside the cell, he could not sense anything; the cell''s magic must have been turned on. "Seven".
"Understood, I am ready," Eclipse said.
Ob, in the shadows, began to let the spark of manna begin internally in his belly. He was starting to let it rise as soon as he jumped out of the shadows. He jumped out and saw all 7 goblins turn around in surprise as two beings appeared out of nowhere, and one of them was a dragon. Before they could even react, two massive fireballs of blue and white flames erupted towards the group. After the blinding light, there was nothing but ashes.
Abigail saw two flames appear next to her cell. She knew those colors anywhere, Eclipse and Ob! She yelled, "Over here!" as she did, she stepped to the side to avoid a pathetic punch attempt made by lord Grinly, who was looking a lot worse for wear. He was pale, and the black liquid was oozing out of his mouth and ears. His breath was labored and painful; he was going to die if he didn''t get any healing.
Ob walked over to the cell with keys in his hands. He looked down to see a bag; he grabbed it and put it in his inventory, "That will be useful later, hey Abigail, that guy looks terrible." He said, opening the cell door. "But aren''t you a sight for sore eyes?" He gave his friend a huge hug, "Good to see ya alive, girly pop." She pulled him close; she never thought she would miss a draconian quite this much, but here she was in the warm embrace of a friend. "Vincent is outside that portal down there waiting for us; he is looking to see what is a good portal to escape from," he continued, letting her be happy and speechless, "what did this guy do to you?"
"Nothing that I couldn''t manage," she said with a smirk, "what should we do with him?"
"Kill him, of course," Ob said with flint in his voice. Without another word, Ob fired another fireball. Lord Grinly''s body lay there burnt to a crisp, motionless, lifeless. Eclipse came in and turned the body into ashes with the dragon''s breath. Abigail looked at the two in grateful surprise.
"Well, I half expected you to say let him live." She said to the two.
"No," Ob said, his usual calm voice returning. "You hurt his pride. You hurt this kingdom''s pride. An elf. Anyone who knows that he brought in an elf is dead. Had he lived, he is an enemy we do not want following us."
Abigail blinked in surprise. Ob had such a reaction to the succubus but for this crown prince, nothing. She didn¡¯t question him further, she was grateful to be saved, he was going to die one way or another."That is true; why did you do that to his dead body, Eclipse?"
"We don''t want him to be revived with necromancy. So doing this kingdom a favor and preventing that." Eclipse responded.
Eclipse went back into her soul home so they could travel back without a dragon scaring everyone. As they re-entered the portal station, they found Vincent sitting and waiting nervously. He looked up to see his girlfriend and someone he was considering to be his best friend. Running up to Abigail, he gave her a huge embrace and kissed her passionately, "Abs" is all he said.
Ob cleared his throat, "Not to ruin this perfect moment, but we definitely should get the hell out of here. Now"
The couple agreed and let go of each other, "The gateway outside close to where we were taking is this one, the purple one," Vincent said. "It took me some time, but I figured it out."
The trio once again reunited, stepping through the portal. Just like that, they were hit with a blast of cool fresh air and forest trees. Eclipse came out of her home and walked beside the group. They were very near the battlefield. As they walked back to the field, they found where their weapons had been thrown and tossed on the ground. Thankfully, no bandits had come this way. They looked over the field and saw hundreds of dead goblins, and they continued to walk away, not looking back.
Chapter 20 - Mystery
After a day''s walk, the group stumbled upon another small town. They quickly found a small house that they could stay in for the night. It was significantly smaller than the large inn that was owned and run by Lani, but it was also much bigger than the prison cells they had just been staying in for several days.
As Ob set to lay down for the night with a pillow and small blanket, he checked all his notifications.
Monster Defeated: Maroon Goblin Troop x 47
Reward: 8000 gold pieces (amulet in effect)
Reward: Goblin tooth x25
Reward: Bronze sword x3
Whoa, that was nothing for all those goblins, Ob thought.
Monster Defeated: Maroon Hobgoblin x5
Reward: 15000 gold pieces (amulet in effect)
Reward: Hobgoblin hat
Reward: Hobgoblin mace
Reward: Hobgoblin tunic
Enemy Defeated: Lord Grinly, Prince of the Maroon Goblins
Reward: 45000 gold pieces (amulet in effect)
Reward: Goblin Crown
Reward: L Explixer x5
Reward: Royal Goblin Tunic
Level up: Skill - Dragon''s Breath
This skill is now level 23
Level up: Skill - Dragon''s Hide
This skill is now level 10
Level up: Power - Draconian Ally
This power is now level 16
Level up: Skill - Stalker
This skill is now level 11
Level up: Skill - Light Bolt
This skill is now level 17
Level up: Power - Slayer
This power is now level 14
Ob Jones is now level 10
Status: Ob Jones.
Race: Celestine
Level: Bronze Tier - Lvl 10
Progress to Silver Level - 40%
Natural Power - Draconian Ally lvl. 16
Skill: Dragon''s Breath lvl. 23
Skill: Dragon''s Hide lvl. 10
Nurtured Power - Slayer lvl. 14
Skill: Stalker lvl. 11
Skill: Light Bolt lvl. 17
Federation Power - Undecided lvl. 0
Skill: Empty
Skill: Empty
Aura manipulation lvl. 5
Soul manipulation lvl. 6
You have 57 attribute coins. Would you like to distribute now?
Vitality: 210
Speed: 148
Strength: 167 (+5 Bonus)
Manna: 510/510 (+5 Bonus)
Integrity: 250/250
Ob thought long and hard about what he should spend his coins on. Everything proved helpful as he was getting stronger. He thought about the battle, how he had just run out of manna. He decided to put 40 coins into manna and the rest into integrity.
Vitality: 210
Speed: 148
Strength: 167 (+5 Bonus)
Manna: 550/550 (+5 Bonus)
Integrity: 267/267
Abigail sat next to Ob to drop off some food that she and Vincent had just gotten from a local vendor. He sat up and went into his inventory to fetch the gold pieces they had earned during their battles.
"Here," he said, pulling out a bag, "it''s 23k gold pieces for each of you. We''ll find a trades hall in Andohull and we will split the money from the loot."
Abigail and Vincent shared a look, "Ob, those rewards are from all your kills alone. We do not have an ability that allows us to collect spoils or rewards. You should not share them with us."
Ob waved her off, "That''s nonsense; we''re a party, ain''t we, and we share everything amongst ourselves."
"That is a very generous Ob, truly. Thank you. I will use this to repair my clothing." She looked down at her battered tunic. She was wearing a simple tunic she had as a spare in her bag.
"I also have this bag from the prince we can look at," Ob said, pulling it out to examine the contents.
Lord Grinly''s Sack
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
They all grimaced at the name.
Bondable Item
Bag
This is a bag belonging to Lord Grinly; it cannot be opened without permission or by the person who has killed Lord Grinly. You have permission to open this bag. Open? Yes/No?
Yes.
Item: Great Goblin Sword
Bondable Weapon
Legendary
A sword was given to royalty in the goblin kingdom. It is a strong, long sword that can deal lethal fire damage. The sword has magic potential and can serve as a conduit to any magic that is inputted into it.
The sword was stunning. Ob held it up; the pommel was a small circle with intricate designs that looked like the designs the maroon goblin troops were wearing, and the handle that was attached to the pommel was made from a wood Ob had never seen before. The grip was about 10 inches long. It had dark brown leather straps wrapped around the wood, with one strand of gold. The guard had two small points going out sideways; above the point, the metal would curve up into a crescent moon shape with two more sharp points. The guard itself was no larger than a few inches wide or tall. The metal was Damascus steel with the same designs in it. The middle of the guard had an amber gemstone. The blade was incredible. The blade was 25 inches long. It had a slight curve to it that showed it was only for slashing in one direction and stabbing. The sharp edge of the sword was made from the same Damascus steel as the guard. However, these designs glowed amber orange, signifying magical imbuement; the edge ran all along the blade to the point. The base of the sword was orange and looked like there was a fire trapped inside the blade; it would take up most of the area until it met the edge.
"That is a beautiful weapon," Vincent said slowly; he loved how that sword looked. "The power is amazing. I can feel it."
"It is indeed a beautiful weapon. You are very blessed to have gotten that Ob. Congratulations." Abigail said, staring at the fantastic weapon.
"So you like it?" Ob asked, looking at Abigail.
"Very much so, yes."
Ob put the sword back in its sheath and gave it to his friend. "You need a weapon." That is all Ob said and watched his friend''s eyes grow wide.
"I could not have agreed more with that decision." Vincent said, beaming at his girlfriend; he looked towards Ob and gave an appreciative nod, "Now we all have legendary weapons!"
Abigail pulled the sword out and held it like she was going to attack. She looked at it, and the sword started to glow teal green. The color of her aura. The glowing grew more and more intense until it reached its peak. It stopped, and the blade had slightly transformed. It was no longer the color of fire being trapped in the blade; it looked like a teal-green windstorm was trapped. Silver clouds would be in motion, covering a teal-green sky. She stared at it, tears forming in her eyes. It was beautiful. She had never seen something like this before. To her, the sword told a story of the storm that was brewing inside of her constantly and how she felt trapped. She wanted to release that storm from time to time; well, now she had the opportunity. She said something in her mother tongue, and then runes appeared on the blade, "Mystery: The Captured Storm that is what I named it, in elf. Thank you, Ob, I owe you big time."
"You owe me nothing."
He continued to look inside the bag. That was the only thing of real importance that was worth anything. There were some keys, a book, and a pair of boots. Ob ate his food slowly and quietly for the rest of the night. He told them that he was going to get some sleep. He had been drained from the events of the last few days. He needed to rest. He was still feeling out his new body and new race. After saying goodnight, Ob fell asleep.
Vincent and Abigail went outside together and went to a small inn that served hot food. They hadn''t shared a meal together since becoming a couple. As they waited for their food to arrive, they began conversing, "How did you see me?" Abigail asked.
"I was thinking of the time when I knew.." Vincent said, pausing; he took a deep breath. He had never told her he loved her. He had never really told anyone besides his mom, and that was a rare occasion. "When I knew I loved you," he said, regaining his resolve. "I was thinking of that day, and then I felt some manna surge, and next thing I knew, I was looking at you in your prison cell. That''s when I whispered your name, and you turned to look at me.¡±
Abigail paused; she couldn''t believe what she had just heard, "I was thinking the same thing the day I knew that I loved you, I mean. As that memory ended, I, too, felt that manna surge but did not see you; I only heard you and felt your presence." How could this be? How could simply thinking about each other create a surge of manna that would allow them to see each other?
"Abigail, don''t think about it too much," he said, chuckling, "I am glad we found you and that you are safe. I love you."
"Okay, Okay," she dropped the train of thought to focus on her lover, "I love you as well." Their food arrived, and they began engaging in small talk about their lives together and their time in prison. This is nice, she thought to herself, it is nice to slow down. I have not been able to do that in what seems like forever. I am content.
Vincent dropped his head, ¡°dammit¡± he muttered. Abigail knew not to look around. She looked at her boyfriend quizzically.
¡°Oi! Vincent and the elf¡± a booming voice cheered. Burley footsteps made their way to the young couple. ¡°Ahh young love, aye luv it!¡±
¡°Hey, Moris¡¡± Vincent said.
¡°Oi, laddy, I won¡¯t be ruinin yer date. Just wanted to say ello!¡± The big man laughed. ¡°Lookatcha y¡¯all both grown big and strong, near silver, very gude very gude.¡±
¡°Hello, Moris,¡± Abigail said respectfully. ¡°What brings you here?¡±
¡°You twos remember that damn Draconian and it¡¯s pet?¡± Moris spat. They nodded. ¡°Well words gone out that he¡¯s ere, fur the night. I told that normal laddy to leave. He ain¡¯t listen, so now I¡¯m gunna turn im in for some big gold.¡± Moris said that with pride. The alpha werewolf intended to capture this Draconian. Maybe now, the Lady would give him the time of day and let him join her operation.
¡°I assume you have some people after him now?¡± Vincent said calmly.
¡°Aye,¡± Moris said. ¡°Another coincidence eh?¡± He said eyeing the two up and down.
¡°Yep,¡± Vincent said calmly. ¡°We¡¯re on our way to Andohull and had a run in with some maroon goblins. Set us back a couple weeks. We left shortly after the last time we saw you,¡± Abigail was amazed at the lie Vincent just crafted. Mixed with mostly truth he added just enough detail of the truth but not too much to be specific. Well done, Vin. She thought.
¡°Ugh maroon goblins¡¡± he shivered. ¡°Annoyin little beasties. Glad yer safe, they do a number to their captives. Anyway, I¡¯ll let y¡¯all continue yer date. Take care ya twos.¡± The Alpha wolf got up and headed toward the door. Something was different about the two, they seemed more hostile than before. Moris chopped it up to them being upset he interrupted their date. That made him laugh young love, he thought, it¡¯ll get ya in ta some trouble there. They prolly just upset about the date, nothin more.
¡°Happy hunting,¡± Vincent waved. ¡°We gotta somehow get to Ob.¡±
¡°He knows where to find us, we must get out of the town. Set up camp. Anywhere that is not here.¡± Abigail got up to get moving. She paused, ¡°thanks for the lovely date, my love.¡± She kissed him.
Ob¡¯s eyes shot open from his dream. He could hear whispers. They weren¡¯t the whispers of Abigail and Vincent. Someone was coming after him.
¡°Shhh I think it is this way. The Innkeeper said it was this room.¡± one of the voices said. Ob didn¡¯t want to push out his senses to feel how many people there were. He guessed that there were at least three. Thugs for hire, Ob thought. What¡¯s the play, Ob what¡¯s the play? He jumped into the shadows with his cloak. For the time being, he would hide in the shadows.
The footsteps grew louder, there was a jiggling at the door. With a click, five men in full plate armor burst into their room. ¡°He ain¡¯t here!¡± one of them spat.
¡°That information was false,¡± another one said. Just as Ob started to believe that he was free, one more human walked in. This one¡¯s aura was strong and hostile. He was the leader.
¡°Not so fast,¡± the leader said. His voice was hollow and sounded like a stereotypical mustache-twirling villain. The man¡¯s eyes started to glow lime green, he began searching around the room.
Ob took a deep breath, his heart was racing. He did not want to fight again. With every second that the leader looked at a different corner of the room, his heart started beating harder. Ob was convinced they would hear his heart before seeing him. ¡°Come out, come out, wherever you are.¡± the man teased. With a steeling breath, Ob jumped out of the shadows right behind the man, with Hades in hand he cut the leg off of the leader. ¡°Boo,¡± Ob said. He put Hades to the neck of the leader, ¡°who sent you?¡± He hissed.
¡°Screw you Draconian,¡± the leader spat. ¡°I¡¯ll never talk. Don¡¯t just stand there, you imbiciles GET HIM!¡± the other four men leaped into action. Ob kicked the leader hard in the back causing the leader to land hard on his stomach. The men were wielding swords and shields. They approached Ob slowly and carefully. Ob, not wanting to deal with this for too long, jumped into the shadows. He reappeared in front of the leader again. Ob grabbed the man by the hair, ¡°you¡¯re going to bleed out, if you don¡¯t start talking,¡± Ob said.
¡°Then I¡¯ll die by your hands, you filth,¡± the leader spat in Ob¡¯s face. Disgusted, Ob wiped the spit off and took a deep breath. He had no idea why these men came after him. He had no idea how they even knew he was there. His patience was running thin, still horrified that he killed the Succubus he was not going through that again. Ob jumped back into the shadows. He rose up behind one of the men, put his arm around the man, and started to squeeze. The other men whirled on Ob and started swinging thankfully they missed. The first guy was now unconscious. Ob ran up the side wall and Roundhouse kicked another man in the temple, he was knocked out cold.
Two down, two to go Ob thought. Ob activated stalker and went back into the shadows, he reached out with just his arm out of the shadows, to trip one of the men. As that man was falling Ob jumped out of the shadows with a mean uppercut. The man¡¯s head snapped backward, he crashed to the floor hard. ¡°Just you and me now,¡± Ob said to the final attacker. The man lunged with his sword, Ob dodged to the side. While the man¡¯s sword was out past his body, Ob karate chopped the arm. He felt bone crush as he chopped, and the man screamed in pain. He dropped the sword, Ob picked it up. He walked over to the man, now cradling his arm on the ground, and struck him with the pommel of the sword. Knocking him out cold.
Ob walked up to the leader and used the dragon¡¯s breath to cauterize the wound. He wrapped it up with a shirt from one of the passed-out men. Ob then began tying up the men. He stripped them of their armor and grabbed their weapons and loot. Ob was starting to hit a wall, his stamina was at an all-time low. He would look at the loot later. Ob once again, jumped into the shadows. He had to find Abigail and Vincent. This town was no longer safe for them. As Ob went to find Abigail and Vincent, he picked up Abigail¡¯s aura. He followed it, jumping out of the shadows. ¡°Ob!¡± was all he heard, before passing out.
"Hello," a voice asked after being woken up by his phone ringing.
¡°Hello, yes is this Mr. Oscar-Blane Jones?" a woman''s voice said on the other side of the phone.
"Yes, ma''am. This is him, how may I help you."
"Oscar, I am sorry to tell you but your application has been denied. Although your scores were excellent, we could not get past the family interview. It appears there have been some negative things that you have done according to your family. I am sorry, have a nice day." The woman hung up.
"These folks are really making it hard for me to like them, Ob thought; at this point, I would have rather stayed in foster care than be with them." Ob had applied to work for his local government in a position as a Public Relations Representative for the local city board. He earned both his undergraduate and master''s degrees in communication/publications. This job was going to be a big stepping stone in his career. After they told him that he had to do a family interview, his hopes of getting the job plummeted. He was not expecting to get the job at that point.
Disappointed in that call, Ob got out of bed and went to his usual coffee spot to clear his head. He was not a person who drank anything besides water or his veggie supplement drinks. He just loved the ambiance of the coffee shop.
He walked into the shop, which was a small coffee shop. The interior design was that of a cozy cabin in the woods, with low ambient lights, a fireplace, and comfortable seating all throughout the shop. All the tables were natural wood, which gave a real homey and comfortable vibe. Ob approached the worker at the cash register to place his order. He had never seen this woman before; Ob was blown away; she was beautiful. She was tall, only a couple of inches shorter than Ob. The thing he noticed the most were her eyes. They were light purple, like lavendar; he couldn''t take his eyes off of them. She smiled and asked what she could do for her. Her smile was gentle and pure.
Ob finally gathered himself, "Hi, sorry. Your eyes are amazing. I bet you hear that alot." He said awkwardly, chuckling to himself, "Sorry, Evelyn, I''m Ob, could I get hot water and some lemon?"
Eveyln chuckled, "No worries, coming right up Ob! Please call me Eve."
Chapter 21 - Andohull
Once Ob woke up. He saw Abigail and Vincent talking. Vincent looked up, ¡°he wakes!¡± The hunter cheered. He hands him some meat and bread for breakfast.
¡°Thanks,¡± Ob said. ¡°How long was I out?¡±
¡°Just the night,¡± Abigail said. ¡°So what happened?¡±
¡°I got ambushed. Group of 5 men came after me-¡° Ob started explaining.
¡°-six¡± Vincent said. ¡°They were a part of Moris¡¯ crew. We ran into him last night.¡±
¡°That alpha wolf jerk-off??¡± Ob exclaimed. ¡°Goodnight, when will he just leave me alone?¡±
¡°Not likely ever,¡± Abigail said. ¡°Did you kill them,¡± she asked grimly.
Ob shook his head. He retold the story of what happened last night. He spared no detail. He told them how he helped keep the supposed leader alive, he told him the shadow strategy. After telling stories the group decided they would continue on their journey. Ob had looked over the loot as they went back to walking. It was nothing special; a few swords, a couple hundred gold pieces, and some potions. It was clear to Ob, they were trained well to not carry anything too exposing on their personage, in case something goes wrong. Which it did, for them. Bummed out he stored it in his inventory. He created a tab in his inventory for junk rewards to sell.
It has been several days since the group had escaped the maroon goblins. The team was a cohesive force at this point. Spending time together on the road and traveling to the big city of Andohull had given them a lot of time to train, talk, and become friends. Abigail was grateful to have Ob around on their team. Something about his presence was great; he was a calming person. It was as if his presence, his aura, automatically calmed the area they were interacting in. She thought it to be a trait of the Celestine race, but she had felt that before when she first saw him and Eclipse at the park.
Vincent was staring at a piece of parchment paper he had received from his mother. It was delivered to him by Messenger Hawk. His tribe specifically uses a warrior hawk; they are large with a wingspan of 5 feet, talons the size of kitchen knives, and a beak that is 6 inches long. These birds are trained in combat, hunting, and messaging. The letter from his mother informed him that his grandma had passed to the ancestral tribe. This was no surprise to Vincent; of course, he had known his grandma had passed while she was passing. The second letter he had received was wondering if he was okay as the messenger hawk had not found him the first time, which was highly unusual.
Vincent stopped to write his mother back. Letting her know that he was chosen for the Ancestral Bow and Grandma had given it to him as she was transitioning to the astral tribe. He also informed her that he was alright now; he had been taken by some maroon goblins, but they escaped and were on their way to Andohull. He loved talking to his mom; she would tell story after story and was also a great listener. In his letter, he wrote about his relationship with Abigail and how they had met Ob; he elected not to tell her about his dragon or that he is a draconian. That would not be good to break over a letter. He signed the page with a "love, Vincent" and sent the bird back toward his tribe.
"Pen and paper," Ob chimed in, "classic, I love it."
"How do you communicate in your world?" Abigail asked.
"Much more convenient. We have these devices that you speak through, and the other person on the other device can hear you." Ob responded, "Or you can write out a message and send it instantly; we call it texting."
"You speak of these things, and yet you say your world is desolate of magic," Abigail said with her eyes wide. "How is that so?"
"We just call it technology; they could be viewed as the same somewhat, I guess." Ob looked up while saying that, voice trailing off. "I can sense you; you can come out now."
"Oi, very good love." a familiar female voice said out from behind a tree, "that time I was using magic to cover my senses. My my, you have changed. You used to be human, and now, you''re definitely not human." Maeva said, walking up to the group.
"Why are you tailing us?" Ob asked, ignoring her comments.
"Not a fan of small talk, aye? I was hired to spy and follow you around and to report back to my boss. I had only just started, and here ye are ruining my contract."
"If it serves a purpose, I enjoy it. I bet you won''t tell us who hired you, huh?"
"Right, you are, big man. Besides, I can''t be the only one following a Draconian, now can I?" The way she said the word made it seem like she wanted them to all turn in shock. She planned it perfectly; this was the moment she would finally get the jump on the man who always sensed her. To her dismay, they had no sudden reaction. They all knew. His party members just stared at her blankly. They were not impressed with the reveal, and he must have told them.
"I imagine not. I am also not trying to hide who I am." Ob said with a half smile. "If people have an issue with me or my party or whoever, they can come and speak to me directly," he said, still smiling.
Who was this man? Why did he seem so calm when it came to grave dangers and people not liking him? It almost seemed like he was challenging anyone to do something to him. Does he know that he is level 10? It''s not a very high level to be that bold. She loved it, though. Maeva had always been described as feisty. She didn''t care for rules, didn''t care that people always overlooked her because of her size, her looks, being a female, or whatever the reasoning is. She wanted to rebel in the face of authority. This man is doing just that. It was intriguing to her.
"I''m Ob," he said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hmmm, not a fan of small talk but a fan of pleasantries; I can respect that," Maeva said, shaking Ob''s extended hand. "I''m Maeva."
"I am Abigail," Abigail said, coming up to shake the small woman''s hand.
"I''m Vincent," Vincent said, following Abigail''s lead.
"Nice to meet y''all. Well, if ye don''t mind, I am going to report what I found to my employer." Maeva said her final greeting and then took off quickly.
The group watched as she ran away; she was extremely fast, and in a moment, she was out of sight. "How do you sense her Ob?" Vincent asked.
"She used magic to hide her, and I can now sense magic in things." Ob responded, "The trees all have the same magical potential, but the one she was hiding behind does not. I saw how much more magic potential was over there, around that tree. I then focused my senses and sensed her aura slightly. How did she know my level? I thought we couldn''t identify without permission?"
"That is correct, but you can always see a person''s level. That is public for all to see." Abigail responded.
"I see," Ob said, still looking in the direction of Maeva. Something about her was intriguing, and it was not just her looks. The way she talked, the way she interacted with them. It was standoffish, but it also seemed like she yearned for something more. Ob filed those thoughts to explore later, and it was time to go towards the big city.
Ob knew they were close, not for any other reason but the ground. The ground turned from a red mulch forest pathway that was truly only marked because people would use it to travel frequently to a gray brick pathway. The new pathway was very obvious; it was intentional and a signal that you were almost there. "Welcome to your first big city, my friend." Vincent leaned in to tell Ob. "Welcome to Andohull, the mountain city."
As they approached the massive city, Ob could hear the hustle and bustle of a city that was always moving. The city was circular, and it was like a high-rising semi-sphere. There were no gates or walls to protect anything. There were rows and rows of houses. It seemed like the city was built in levels on a mountain range. On the bottom level, there were nothing but houses, and this district was huge. There were at least 6000 houses that made up the town district. The houses were all built very similarly with slight tweaks. Each house was a single story apart from a few every dozen or so. The single-story houses all had flat roofs with small arches going over them. There were no carports since cars didn''t exist in this dimension. They would have two smaller windows on each side of the house and a large one to the left or right of the front door. There was grass along the sides of all the houses but no fences. The grass was not typical grass, and it glowed a faint red.
The larger two-story houses looked very similar, with just a second house built on top of it. Ob guessed that the way the buildings were designed was to keep heat in more effectively, being that they were on top of a mountain. He also presumed this is why all the houses were on the smaller to allow better insulation of heat, a small hot box.
The next district above looked like all parks and open sky, not a building in sight. Ob thought about how pretty that district must be, and he was excited to explore all the different terrains and parks that area had to offer. The third district looked like more significant, more official buildings. The buildings were more spread out, but they took over more space. Ob couldn''t see the architecture of the bigger buildings from this distance but was excited to get closer. He had not been disappointed by a building yet.
The final district at the top looked like a large building, but he couldn''t describe how big it was. It looked like a massive dojo on top of the mountain that would overlook the city. "That is the Crusader Federation HQ for the Andohull division. It oversees all of the small towns that surround the city." Abigail told Ob.
"Where would the other three federations be?" Ob asked
"They would be in the third district or the business district."
"Great, I''m getting tired, and it''s getting dark; let''s try to find a semi-permanent place to live." The group all agreed and started to head into the town in search of a place where they could stay. They enter into the main square of the housing district. In the middle was a pillar that pointed to the sky; Ob estimated it to be 60 feet tall. There were different symbols on the ground circling the pillar. All but one symbol looked familiar, and it was one of Goldar, the god he had met in the other town. The district was busy, carts being pulled by what looked like donkeys with lion heads, vendors selling all kinds of foods and items. There were worshippers of different gods in the main square. Ob looked at how civil all the worshippers were, and there wasn''t a hierarchy, and it didn''t seem like there was war. He was impressed but knew not to believe this to be the case for every scenario. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Continuing in the main square, they saw some men dancing. They were using fire, water, and wind magic to perform these wonderful tricks with music being played in the background. It was mesmerizing, and the music was catchy. There was some sort of string instrument and some sort of brass; Ob did not know a lot about musical instruments besides the basics, couldn''t identify the instruments, but loved the sound they played.
Ob was enjoying the taste of the city. It was clear that there was a lot to offer. He was quite excited to explore more and see what he could learn. He wondered if there was a secret place where Draconians met; he wondered if there were any more Draconians left. The group approaches a sign with six different arrows pointing in 6 different directions. "We need to head this way," Abigail said after reading the sign, "It leads us to the Inn Alley, where there are several inns for us to choose from. How much money do we have?"
Ob, looking around cautiously, said simply, "Plenty," then headed off in the direction that Abigail had pointed out.
"What''s the matter, Ob?" Vincent asked, catching up to Ob. Vincent had sensed eyes looking on them, but he assumed it was because they were very new and looked like travelers. "Did you feel all the eyes on us too?"
"Yes," Ob responded, "that''s not it, though. I don''t trust big cities. There are always pickpockets, thieves, or" Ob paused as a group of five appeared in front of them. They were all wearing the same thing: white ninja-looking suits with a symbol on the front. "Troublemakers," Ob finished.
"Hey, Joby," the one on the far right said, "looks like we got some newcomers. I think we need to show them a warm Andohull welcome."
"You might be right there, Booney," the one in the middle, presumably Joby, said. The group were all the same height, and they were all brandishing the same weapons. What distinguished them was their eyes, each of them a different color. "It''s a good thing, we of the white fang party, have come to give them a warm welcome," you couldn''t see his smile through the mask, but Ob imagined it to be one of a supervillain.
The white fangs? Ob thought to himself, What a lame name. Ob, electing not to start any conflict right away, only thought to himself.
"We''re good, and we don''t need a welcome party." Ob said flatly, "Thanks anyway," he took a step toward the group to push past them, and as he began to walk by, Joby grabbed his arm.
"That''s not how this works," he whispered, "you dare deny our hospitality?¡±
Ob, looking at his arm being held, replied, "Uh-oh, I shouldn''t have done that. Let go of my arm."
"Or what? You three gonna beat us five?"
"I could beat you five by myself, let alone the help of the other two," this got some laughter from the white fang party, "but I am tired. We''ve had a long day, and you''re reaching the end of my patience."
"I would listen to him," Abigail spoke up, "We may be unassuming or look as if we are not tough, but I assure you that is a wrong assumption. Much like my friend here, you''re reaching the end of my forbearance," she said taking Mystery out of its sheath, "I suggest that you let us through or leave with bruises if you are lucky." Vincent was no longer next to them; he had slipped away to get a better shot while Ob and Abigail were talking. Ob disappeared into the shadows and reappeared next to Abigail; Joby looked bewildered, then angry.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," another voice said from behind the group, a skinny man who teetered when he walked approached the group. He was wearing the same symbol as the others, but it was in a formal suit. Not a suit ready for combat. "I apologize for my goons here," the man said smoothly, the voice of a trained politician, "I am Praxily VonderFang, the oldest child of the VonderFang family here in Andohull," he said with a bow. "Pleased to meet you."
"Sure," Ob said
Praxily''s face slightly twisted in anger at the disrespect that this man had just shown him. Does he not know who his family is? How powerful his family is? He could ruin his life in an instant for just that little bit of disrespect; he was next in line to run the family, and he could not stand for such insolence. But he did; these newcomers would be perfect recruits. "Please allow us to accommodate you all to stay with us at our lodging; it is nice, I must say."
"No, thank you," Ob said again without any additional response.
"Now, you are going to deny an aristocrat an offer of hospitality?"
"I am, and here is why; the offer came after your goons, as you say, threatened us. I do not know how your family runs itself, nor will I pass judgment on that. However, I will assess the situation at hand. My friends and I are tired; our tolerance for BS is at an all-time low. So thank you, Praxily, for your aquitaine and your kindness, but we will make our own path." Once again, Ob began to walk and walked through them. This time, Joby didn''t grab his arm.
"Not a good start to this city, Draconian," Praxily said in a way that was meant to be insulting.
"I know what I am. I do not care what you think," Ob said, continuing to walk away without looking back.
Vincent caught up to the group after scaling the building to get the best shots if a fight broke out. "That was annoying, huh?" he said.
"I hate bullies," is all Ob said.
Abigail and Vincent shared a look, "Never mind them, let us find a spot to stay."
"I can help you with that," a female voice said, approaching them, "You''re Ob, no?"
"I am," Ob said calmly, "how can I help you?"
"You already have," the woman said, giggling, "you are as charming as my cousin said you were."
"Your cousin is Prancey? Very nice to meet you," Ob nobs and slightly bows, not offering a hand, remembering what Pracney had told him about druid tradition.
"Yes," she replied, bowing slightly deeper, "I am Helvuna. I am the owner of this bed and breakfast inn, "the lazy susan." It would be my honor to have you all as guests."
The couple looked at Ob, and it was his call. Abigail vaguely remembers the woman at the trades hall that they are referring to. She definitely doesn''t recall there being anything extraordinary in their interaction that would cause her to reach out to her cousin to let her know about the party. This would be a fun conversation after they are settled. They turned to follow Helvuna into her Inn.
Helvuna was also a halfling like her cousin Pracney. She had tan skin. She had white horns and blonde hair that was a deep green towards the bottom. She was average height, with forest green eyes. She wore a soft smile that was warm and welcoming. She looked to be about Ob''s age, which prompted him to say, "You seem young to be running an inn."
She giggled again, "I inherited it from my Aunt Susan, she had just passed away last year. I was the better cook of my cousins and family, so they felt it would be the best place for me to go. My cousin Prancey visits every weekend. I am sure you will see her again."
"I am sorry for your loss," Ob said quietly and respectfully.
Her eyes, slightly watery, replied, "Thank you." After walking into the Inn, she looks at the group with a large smile and says, "Would you like to have three separate rooms or a suite?"
"A suite would be ideal," Abigail responded.
"We have one suite available that has two bedrooms, a large central living space, a balcony, and a kitchen." Ob was about to respond, done deal, but then he realized. Vincent and Abigail may have never spent a night together in the same room. He wasn''t sure how they would feel about it so soon into their relationship.
Vincent smiled. This was something he knew was going to happen as they were forming a team. Most places would accommodate a crusader party well, but it wasn''t until they were fully formed and official. While they had dinner a few nights ago, he had discussed with Abigail what he thought would be best. The two of them set hard boundaries but elected to give Ob and Eclipse their own space. He wasn''t concerned about breaking any boundaries. They were sealed with a hunter''s oath. This was not something he took lightly. Abigail, trying to mask her disappointment a little, was even more attracted to Vincent. He wanted to do things right by her, and this level of commitment was welcomed.
"That arrangement is perfect. Thank you Helvuna." Vincent responded. He looked at Ob, letting him know they were prepared for this. Ob looked back and nodded.
¡°Perfect,¡± Helvuna said. She walked back to grab the keys. She was out shortly. "Right this way," She beckoned them to follow. She led the group past the kitchen towards the back, where they found stairs. The smell from the kitchen was heavenly. Ob''s stomach started screaming that it was hungry and needed food. "We''ll be back down here as soon as we are done upstairs," Ob said to Helvuna. She laughed and kept walking.
"I think Helvuna has a thing for you, Ob," Abigail said through dragon speech. "It is quite cute."
"I''m a fan," Vincent said.
Ob ignored them and kept walking. The couple looked at each other and laughed. As they entered the room, they were awestruck. It was beautiful, and the decor was that of a forest cabin. There was a tree that was being grown out of the middle of the living space, and there was a bar seating around the tree. Behind the tree was a large window that overlooked the rest of the housing district, with a view of the other mountain in the distance. It was facing the direction of the sunset, which painted the room a golden color. Ob wasn''t sure what the directions were in this dimension, but he didn''t care; it was beautiful.
Their rooms were on the opposite side of the tree in the center. Ob walked into his room and saw a shower and a bathtub, both big enough to fit him. That was a common problem for him in his home world. Before entering the bathroom was a big bed; it was probably the size of a king, but he didn''t know if the sizes were similar. He saw a wardrobe and walked up to it, half expecting it to be a portal; he chuckled to himself. Then, he walked out to his own personal balcony, this one facing the other direction; again, he saw the housing district and the main square.
After putting his stuff down, he walks back to the tree to see Helvuna still standing there, "Satisfied?" She asked in a flirtatious way.
She was quite attractive. Her hair was tied in braids that wrapped around his head. Ob thought it looked great. Usually, he likes hair down, but something about this was beautiful. He responds and says, "hell yes," this place is hella comfortable. "How much do we owe you? Per night?"
"A night is 25 gold per night for the stay, 35 a night if you want meals included," She responded. She also thought Ob was very attractive; his eyes were magically altered, and she assumed it had to do with a soul-link. She could tell when people used magic to alter their features. Ob was not one of those people. He was just an attractive man. Everything about him screamed power. Everything about him screamed peace at the same time. She couldn''t help but be attracted to him like a magnet.
"We will pay you 105 a night," Ob said, with a tone that was playful but also non-negotiable.
"That is very generous. As I said, charming." Helvuna looked at Ob and recalled what her cousin had written. "I just met the strangest man," Prancey said, "He apologized for shaking my hand because of the druid law, he had no idea, but he could tell I hesitated. My god even gave him a gift, for how he treated us. It was quite nice. I think he is a Draconian, which is great, we need more Draconians like him. He is very kind. I think he might be coming to Andohull, if he does, I suggest you meet him." She listened to her older cousin. She really appreciated the relationship the two of them had. A draconian, she thought, I love dragons, us druids do in secret.
She had the group follow her to the kitchen, and she went to the back to make her magic. She crafted magical food that had manna recovery and health recovery mixed in. She served dinner, which appeared to be a meat dish that looked like pork ribs, some sort of fried fish-looking dish, with a medley of veggies that were steamed. She put the plates down in front of them and poured them some drinks for the group. Ob asked for some tea, and she gave him some very yummy white tea.
The group asked her to join; they wanted to spend time with their generous host. She did sit with them and began to listen to all the stories they had to tell. She wondered if she would ever meet a dragon being next to a Draconian.
Chapter 22 - What it Takes to be a Maverick
Ob woke up after a full night''s rest. The meal Helvuna provided was incredible. He could feel the magic infusion refill all of his attributes. He thought about how great that skill would be to have and wanted to learn it. Maybe he could ask Helvuna to teach him how she does it. He thought it would be good to see her again anyhow.
Walking to the tree, he saw Vincent sitting there reading. "Are you reading?" Ob said in a mocking tone, "Or are you Abigail who is practicing a new magic spell?"
"Aahh, the man wakes up a jester," Vincent said, looking up from his book. "Sleep well, my friend?"
"Very," Ob responded, "y''all?"
"Yeah, we did; we slept well. We have to get you signed up for the next Maverick assessment. To do that we need to get you registered with the Crusader Federation and then with the Mavericks."
"Any advice for the assessment?"
"I have never taken it, so no clue. I know that it''s two weeks long, but that''s about it."
"They will test you holistically," Abigail said, putting her hair in a braid, "it is a test of your aura, your soul, your powers, and your attributes. The two weeks will also test your ability to work with a team and see how you take on monsters alone. They do allow people to bring soul-link so you are in luck."
"Smooth," Ob said with absolute confidence.
"You do not seem concerned," Abigail said, looking at her friend.
"I''m not. I know my abilities and I''ll have Eclipse by my side.
"That''s right!!" Vincent cheered. Just then, there was a knock on the door, "Come on in!" There was a maid who had a pile of food for them. There were various fruits and what looked like yogurt. Ob grabbed some of the fruit, gave it an odd look, and then took a small bite. It was sweet and salty. He grabbed some more of that fruit and began eating, "Thank you, Galice." Ob said with a warm smile. Galice nodded and walked out.
The group made their way out of the Inn and headed to the Crusader district. It was all the way at the top. Ob had wondered how they would get up there, then he saw several options, pipes - that used magical hot air to propel you up, stairs - about 2 thousand, portals, and a pulley system. Ob looked at the stairs and immediately said NOPE.
They went to the portals and stepped through. It brought them into the lobby of the massive building. The building had a white interior made of marble. There were pillars along the top of the large dome of the room. It was very bright due to a few well-placed windows. They walked over to a billboard with directions for where they needed to go. They found their way to the front desk. "Welcome to the Crusader Federation, how may I help you?" The clerk said.
"Hi, Bill." Ob said, "I''d like to register for the Crusaders, and then the Maverick assessment as well."
Bill looked him up and down, "The Maverick assessment is meant to be done by the biggest and the strongest; no offense, you do not fit that description. To get registered as a Crusader is easy. Here is a form to fill out and then you will receive a badge via messenger bird. That should happen in a day. Maverick assessments run every three days, with a different instructor. The next assessment starts today, you can rush over to get registered if you would like to do that now."
"With all due respect Bill. I am offended that was unnecessary and rude to say that." Ob said back sharply.
Bill''s eyes widened; he had meant no disrespect. "I am sorry, I meant no disrespect. It is just a dangerous assessment, and few people perish. Many fail."
"Next time then, keep those thoughts to yourself," Ob whispered angrily to the clerk. He grabbed his form and walked off without another word. Bill looked at the man he had just insulted and grew afraid. The look he had on his face was not anger. It was peaceful and calming. His words, though, were sharp as steel; he was a beautiful samurai sword. Peaceful and calm but deadly if needed. He certainly had misjudged him. He would be a powerful Maverick.
Ob decided that moment, after what Bill had said, that he would do the assessment today. He headed to the Maverick Federation HQ via teleport. He had said his farewells to Abigail and Vincent. The two had wished him luck and said they would see him when he was a Maverick in a couple of weeks.
The HQ was nothing special; it looked like a standard four-story office building outside. Ob found that to be strange. All the other buildings looked incredible, but this one looked plain and out of place. Perhaps that was the point? To give the illusion that it was not hard to be a Maverick.
Ob walked through the front doors to have his senses completely reduced. There was only one person in front who looked up from their task and smiled. It was an elven woman, "Good day sir. Are you here for the assessment?"
"Yes ma''am, I am," Ob responded.
"Very well," her voice was calming and proper, "Right this way for the aura and soul assessment. Your aura and soul will be fully displayed for our examiners to view." She began leading Ob down a hallway corridor that was well-lit and had several offices. "In the room, you will have a clergy from the god of wisdom, the god of the see-er, and a maverick federation representative. If you have any soul-links, they will need to be out and present during this assessment, they will be assessed as well. Good luck." With that, she knocked and began walking away. Her speech was practiced and precise, leaving no room for questions. She had likely done that a million times. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Ob walked into the room; it had stone walls with no design. It looked like a classic interrogation room he would see in TV shows back on Earth. There stood three other people. The clergy wore robes that had symbols and colors that Ob presumed to be the colors and symbols of their gods. The other person was wearing a practical black suit with a dark slate blue tie, the color of the mavericks.
"Hello there sir." The woman in the orange robes with gold trims spoke up. "I am Priestess Sarah, I am the priestess for the god of wisdom. This next to me," she gestured to the man about the same height, "is my brother, Priest Aaron. He is the priest for the god of the see-er. Lastly," gesturing to the maverick representative, "We have Charles, representative for the Maverick Federation."
They all bowed slightly as a sign of respect towards Ob. "What''s going on, my name is Ob. Nice to meet y''all." Ob said very casually.
"It is time for the soul reading," Sarah said, "if you could please release any soul-link you may have." Eclipse came out of Ob''s eyes. Charles flinched and reached for his weapon. He had no idea this man was a Draconian Ally. The audacity to approach the federation to join while being one. "Calm Charles, this was not unknown. So any others you may have?"
"Nope, just Eclipse here," Ob said.
"This process has been known to be quite uncomfortable so please bear with us during this time and try not to scream too loudly," Charles said with a smirk. Ignoring him, the priestess began chanting some words. Her eyes turned completely orange, and then orange swirls began to engulf both Ob and Eclipse. As that was happening, the priest Aaron, who was wearing a lime green robe with gold trim his eyes also turned lime green. Ob froze, that color, he thought, that¡¯s the same color as the jerk who attacked me! Ob elected to not do anything, he continued to watch Aaron. Aaron also chanted a quick spell, and his eyes grew hot with a deep intensity.
Ob felt like his soul was burning. It felt like it was being set on fire. He grimaced at the pain, but in no way was it the hardest he had ever felt his soul be attacked. His whole life on Earth had been people being rude and condescending, breaking his heart, giving him away, and treating him poorly for how he looked. These two people use magic to find out about his life. It was not hard. It was a relief, actually, not having to explain but to have people see it.
The swirling and intensity stopped. Both the clergy looked at each other and then nodded. "You have passed the trial of aura and soul assessment. You may now proceed with the field assessment. Charles, you may take him with the other recruits." As Ob was about to make his way out of the room, it turned lime green, and there was a woman standing in front of him. This woman had no head, just an eye floating over a bodiless robe.
"I am Qohva, the goddess of seeing," the goddess said in a divine voice, "I am not what you expected?"
"Truly, I had no expectations, but this is different." Ob said with a small chuckle, "What can I do for you goddess? Why did one of your priests attack me?"
"He is not one of my priests,¡± Qohva said calmly, taking no offense to the accusation. ¡°He is someone who received a keystone andgot a power to see in the dark. I am the god of seeing after all. Nevermind him; you have a dangerous path ahead of you, Ob. Your soul is unique. It is a Draconian and a Celestine. Seek a clergy of my kin, the god of wisdom. He will be able to inform you of the history of the two."
"I see, I am sorry for the accusation,¡± Ob bowed his head slightly. ¡°Let me guess, they were either rivals or allies, both at one point hated by the world. Then the Celestines disappeared but dragons stayed. Then rumors spread that the dragons and the Draconians killed all the Celestials?"
"Just as you say," the goddess replied with a shocked tone. "You are wise for being so young. Your potential is way more than what it takes to be a Maverick. I hope you make it to the Ancient tier. Your power rivals us gods, I say this as a warning, for you have met two gods who are fond of you Ob. We are not all as relaxed with powerful mortals."
"What can you see? The future, the past, my potential?"
"I can only see glimpses of the future and can only make vague prophecies of them. I can see your past, I can see your potential. That is why I can simply hope you make it, not guarantee. You have free will in this world Ob, use it to be balanced for good." She walks up to Ob and holds out her robe for him to shake. He awkwardly looked and put his hand inside the robe sleeve where the hand should have been, shook the goddess'' hand. As he pulled his hand back, he felt something in his palm, "Good luck, Ob Jones. I hope to see you soon." After that, the lime green faded, and Ob returned to the stone room he was in.
Aaron looked at Ob with wide eyes and a hint of jealousy. He knew what had happened; his goddess had stopped to visit Ob personally, and this was a rare honor. It was also something he picked up in his soul reading. Why had she talked to him personally? What was so special about this man?
Item: Contacts of Sight
Bondable Armor
Divine
You have been given the gift from the god of seeing, Qohva. Contacts of sight are wearable armor that will boost your soul and aura defense from being read. You are now immune to all tracking and soul/aura reading. Would you like to wield? Yes/no? Warning; your soul-link''s connection to you will change. You will no longer have white eyes when Princess Eclipse of the Astrological North Dragon Clan enters your soul home.
Yes.
Bond is being established. Princess Eclipse of the Astrological North Clan will now appear on your body inside your spectral cloak as the sun in the Solar Eclipse. You are now no longer able to be seen as a Draconian Ally. Those who have already known will continue to see. Unless you tell people, your Draconian aura will be hidden.
Ob stood in shock at the gift he just received. This would help him a lot, especially now, during his assessment. He knew he was still going to bring out Eclipse, but this time, he could do it a bit more covertly, should it allow him.
Ob wondered why these two gods decided to talk to him directly, or any gods for that matter. Ob couldn''t help but be amazed at how casually he had reacted to gods, real-life gods in his presence. It''s not like Ob didn''t believe in god. He had trouble accepting god fully because of his life of suffering. He was taught that there was a god, the creator god, the ones of the monotheistic religions, and there were polytheistic mythological gods, like Zeus, Thor, and Neptune. His acceptance of one didn''t mean he was vicious or discounting others'' beliefs. Now, he was meeting gods, and that was insane.
What was more insane was the fact that there are gods who don''t like him, and he has potential that rivals them. He heard a throat get cleared, shaking him out of his thoughts. "If you would, Mr Ob." Charles said, motioning to the door, "It''s time for your assessment."
Chapter 23 - High-Noon Island
Abigail left Vincent at the Inn and found the Enchantress Hall, which is located in many large cities. She had not gotten over her failing the past three exams. She was not a failure. She had never failed this much before. However, in the few weeks since she had gotten her results, she had met a certain man who showed her that she could deal damage. She was entering into this with a renewed sense of hope and determination.
"Ah, Ms. Montall, it appears that you have returned for another attempt," a snobby-sounding voice appeared over the counter; it was another elf.
"That is correct, Mrs. Hope." Abigail couldn''t disregard the irony in the elven administrator who constantly looked down on those who had hope.
"A little early for a retry, no?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"With all due respect, Mrs. Hope. I can take this test as many times as I please. I can try as little or as often in between days as I please. I, just like the other times, have learned and adapted. I would appreciate it if you kept your tone to resemble professionality, thank you." Abigail said sternly yet respectfully. The elderly elf nodded without saying another word. After a few minutes, a small elf walked out of a door twice the size of it.
"Er, Ms. Abigail Montall," the high-pitched voice of the small elf said, "Ahh yes, I remember you. Right this way m''lady." The elf gestured into the big door and the testing room.
The Enchantress test was interesting; it consisted of real-life beings who were brought in with a life-threatening ailment that must be treated, along with a criminal who must be condemned for their crimes. The test is not meant to kill, as all criminals will be healed. It is to see that the Enchantress is not useless on her own and can attack when the defenses of her allies break.
"Would you like me to recite the rules?" The elf asked.
"No, thank you. I know them. I am ready to begin." She responded in a tone that meant all business.
"As you wish, m''lady." As the elf bowed in acknowledgment, a white portal opened in front of Abigail. Out walked a man whom Abigail recognized immediately, "Asher," she hissed. Asher was an elf of another rival family who was gunning for power in her kingdom. Asher was about six feet tall with very pale skin. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. His family were river elves, and his eyes matched that color. He was somewhat built but still the typical scrawny elf build. He had very pointy fangs and wore an eternal smirk on his face.
Asher and Abigail were never friends; they had always been rivals in class, in training, and in everything. Asher always won. She could never better the young elf prodigy, and she hated that. She wanted nothing good to happen to him, and yet it always did. When she heard that he wanted the throne, she knew that he would take it from her because he always did. A part of her really wanted the throne just so he wouldn''t have it. Another part was happy to hear that because it would free her. But could she let her kingdom fall because she doesn''t want to lead?
"Abigail.." Asher said with a weak voice, "I think I have been poisoned, please. Help. Me," Asher passed out on the ground. Abigail did not want to help this elf. This could be her opportunity to rise to the top and take back the throne. To finally get the better of her rival.
As she paused and nearly let another examination go on as a failure, she didn''t want to be known as the person who didn''t save her rival, though. Abigail kneeled beside him and felt his aura with her senses. He wasn''t poisoned; he had internal barbs throughout his bloodstream, and he was given some sort of magical item that infected him. She first needed to purge his blood completely. This would give her 90 seconds before the brain will start to lose all function. She was wondering if there was a less extreme case, but she was running out of time. Without another word, she chanted her purging spell.
Blood began flowing out of Asher''s every hole and pore. It rose into the air, swirling around Abigail as she began to examine the blood. Her time to heal Asher before he died started.
"Ahem, all potential recruits, welcome to the Maverick assessment," Charles said to a small group of 5 creatures, his voice was stoic and boring. "With quite possibly our smallest cohort we have ever had, this means you will be tested in more detail. The test will comprise of 3 sections first we will enter into an unknown area, unknown to you that is. In there, you will need to map out the area to the best of your ability. The next section is to locate and kill a specific monster that I deem within the unknown area. After you kill it you must bring me a piece of that monster, again I will divulge that information when the time comes. Finally, the group will work together to defend a small town from a pack of monsters. After that, it will conclude our assessment. Any questions?"
A creature that looked like a mixture of a human and an eagle raised their hand, "Yes Bonny?" Charles called on her.
"Are we allowed to use any means necessary to kill the monster, including soul-links?" the creature asked.
Charles raised an eyebrow, "A harpy, asking to use a soul-link, I never thought I would see the day. Yes, you may use soul-links."
Harpies are real? Ob thought, Well, that''s pretty awesome, not nearly as creepy as my world makes them seem.
"Any other questions," Charles asked. "No, very good. Step through the portal, please," His eyes flashed blood red, and a blood-red portal appeared in front of all the recruits. The blood-red wormhole was ominous, and some hesitated; Ob did not. He figured if this man truly wanted them dead, this would not be the means he would have done it.
As Ob entered through the portal, he saw total darkness. There was no sound. There was no smell. It was as if they were in a void. After all the recruits finally walked through the portal, the darkness started to fade. With the sound of rushing water, it was very apparent now. It smelled like they were near a beach, which Ob thought meant they were on an island, which was worrisome. Ob thrived in caves with a lot of shadows. That is how he was able to fight. If they were to fight a monster in the day, there would not be as many shadows as if they were on a beach. The night would be his best time to attack.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Welcome to High-noon Island; it is just off the coast of the Easdori Continent. For those of you who don''t know," Charles added, looking at the faces of all the very confused recruits, "Andohull is on the Nordori continent, which is the continent north of the Soudori Continent."
"How many continents are there," another recruit asked, which Ob appreciated because he knew nothing.
"Idiots," A human said. This human had red irises and black skin, with white marks along his body. Sort of making him look like a reverse Bengal tiger. "There are 4 major continents, Nordori, where Andohull is located; this is the most northern continent; far south is Soudori; Easdori is far east; and Wesadori is far west. There is a massive ocean in between all the continents with many islands. Every continent is its own massive island with its own multitude of terrains."
"Thank you for that explanation, Hasem. May we move on?" Charles asked with an annoyed tone.
Ob thought how helpful that was. He needed to look at a map. He also wondered how big this world was and how it compared to Earth. Based on that explanation, it seemed smaller, but there were also two moons, so he wasn''t sure.
"There is a creature here that produces the sweetest fruit," Charles began to explain the assessment, "the creature is a river hog. River hogs are unique in that they lay eggs and give birth like mammals. Their eggs are often not fertilized and will hatch a delightful fruit. The fruit can be harvested and used in various potions and high-end cooking. Your test is to bring me back the fruit of this hog. Before you go hunting for the egg, I will need a map of the island. The map can be as comprehensive or not as you would like, as long as you can read it and it can help you. After that, I will give you a more detailed report on the river hog. At this point, there will be no more questions; I will be watching you with these," he chanted a spell, and 5 clear spheres appeared over the recruits. They looked like fortune teller balls, "these will show me what is going on in your area, including you.
If you want to be a Maverick, well, here is your chance. Good luck, be strong. You have two weeks to complete these two sections." With that, Charles disappeared into another wormhole portal, leaving the recruits on the beach alone.
"What the hell is she doing?" The high-pitched voice of the elf said to the other judges.
"Quiet Bart," another elf scolded.
Abigail''s eyes turned her magical teal green, and they began sensing all the bards within the bloodstream. While moving her hands like a conductor, Abigail continued to chant her purging spell, eliminating tiny black barbs every half second; the blood was becoming clearer each moment. It was working; she was starting to clear and heal the infected blood successfully. She realized she was not moving fast enough, though, so she took a breath and forced the blood, still partially infected, back into the body of Asher. As she did that, she chanted her healing pulse spell, and pink rings of aura and healing magic began to manifest and splash all over Asher. She was able to heal any outside wounds, and this helped her prevent any more of the barbs from infecting the body.
Since she was not sure what the actual cause of the barbs was, she figured it was safest to use that spell to give her some time to figure it out, if she even needed to figure it out. She once again used the purge to withdraw all of his blood. She began removing the bards out of the blood. The sight was hauntingly beautiful; like an orchestra conductor, she would be waving her hands and motioning for the blood to flow around her in a dance. Then, she would have the barbs removed and destroyed with another chant. She was moving with grace and confidence. She was in total control of the situation, and she was doing great.
As she began to finish and eliminate the final barb, she replenished the blood. She then watched the body of her rival begin to sparkle. It was transforming, and a mirror-looking lizard was staring back at her. This was a reflection lizard. It used magic and its mirrors to replicate another being perfectly. They were often used in tests like these because of how realistic they could make scenarios.
"Well done, Ms. Abigail Montall. You have exceeded all expectations. We did not give you an easy test. You showed wise provision by healing the outside body. There was a small cut from the blade that was constantly reproducing the barbs. Your healing powers effectively eliminate reproduction. Even if you did not know that was there, your vigilance in doing so was important." The elderly elf said, nodding her head in approvement.
"Now is the time for the second part of the assessment." Another portal opened, and out walked a werewolf. The werewolf was in chains and sneered at the young elven princess. "This werewolf was caught slaughtering the livestock of a small town farm, effectively making the farmers poor. Subsequently, the farmers committed suicide because they were ruined. This werewolf must face justice for its actions."
Abigail had issues with this portion of the test because of the ethics behind it. She pushed that aside and went to touch the werewolf. She lied and said it was to assess any damage. She whispered her chant to release the toxins into the werewolf from her point of contact. She took a step back and watched as the werewolf began falling to its knees. The toxins were spreading fast and were killing quickly. In a rage of pain, the werewolf attempted to lunge at Abigail. She took a step to the side and used her senses to sense how fast he was dying. Right before it died, Abigail called back out the toxin and bowed in a sign of task complete.
"What are you doing?" The elderly voice asked, anger rising, "Why did you not finish the job?"
"I am not an executioner, I am an enchantress and a guardian." Abigail said, with no shaking in her voice. She was stern and serious. "The objective is to show that I can deal with damage and deal it effectively. Well, that is done."
"No." the elderly elf spat, "The objective is to do as we say. We said. eliminate the target."
"If that is the case then fail me. If that is how you view being an official Enchantress, then I decline. I will not be a part of a group where being an executioner is required."
"Given the chance, young elf, this werewolf would maul you alive. Then send your head to your father, you pathetic weakling."
That word¡ weak. She understood Ob''s perspective now. This wasn''t being weak. This was showing strength. She could have easily let that werewolf die; all she had to do was sit back and wait two more seconds, and the task would have been done. But the wolf was not going to recover from this anytime soon. She had an understanding of her magic powers the more she trained with it. This cut off any ability to self-heal. The only way it would heal is to be healed.
"You may see it as a weakness, Elder. I do not. The wolf cannot heal on its own. It can only be healed by a healer. I have eliminated this werewolf from doing any further damage.
If this werewolf were to attack me directly, I would put it in the ground. In an instant, without hesitation. However, it did not attack me or deal any damage to me. I cannot in good consciousness kill this being." Abigail said with flint in her voice, then bowed. She didn''t wait for a response; the test was over, and they would send her the results. She gathered her stuff and left the training hall feeling more proud of herself than she had ever been.
Chapter 24 - Burning Your Underwear
Ob walked away from the group of recruits who looked confused. He did not want to work with any of them until they had to for the final stage of this assessment. He pulled up his mini-map on his UI. They were given a map that could be filled in with magic; it was just like using a magical weapon to act as a conduit for magical attacks; you did the same but without attacking.
After he was a good distance from the group, he had Eclipse come out. "What is your plan?" she asked him.
"I think we should fly up and map the area as soon as possible. With them giving us two weeks, I have a feeling the river hog will be a tough thing to find."
"It is not the hog itself that is hard to find, it is the nest that is hard." Eclipse replied
"Mm yeah, that makes sense. Okay, let''s map this island out." Ob jumped onto the back of Eclipse, and she took off, soaring into the sky. The island was not very large; it looked like it could be a couple hour''s walk from north to south and east to west of the island.
Ob noted that there were several landmarks that he could use as callouts. To the north of the island, there was a large pond. Ob called it the large pond - simple and easy to recall; then he saw to the east a group of trees that looked like a fruit orchard; to the west was where they landed. It was the only walkable beach on the island; to the south were cliffs. Directly in the middle, there was a river brook. The river ran from the large pond in the north, cutting through the island and ending off into the southern cliffs into the ocean.
Ob wondered how in the world the river kept refilling and the pond never ran out of water; he simply answered it with one word, magic.
Ob and Eclipse flew for about two hours and went back to their portal location. He called on Charles, who appeared startled to find Eclipse still waiting to move on to the next stage. "That was fast," he stated, surprised, "Flying over the island to get a bird''s eye view, was very smart. You may move on to hunting the eggs of the river hog. Be warned the lowest level creature here is you. Proceed with caution."
Ob nodded and began walking towards the large pond, Eclipse in tow. "Something is weird about this island," Ob stated.
"What do you mean?" Eclipse asked.
"Well, we just did that task for two hours and the sun has not changed position at all. I think this place stays at high noon every day. This will make fighting tough, and also telling how many days have gone by will be hard."
"Mmm you are right," she stated as they entered a tropical jungle-looking area. Ob pulled out Hades and began to start chopping through the overgrown mandrakes and tropical foliage. He was beginning to be extremely grateful for the weapon he had received. Getting through this jungle would have been a major pain. As another couple of hours passed, Ob could feel the magic start to shift ever so slightly.
"We need to find shelter and we need to find it now." Ob said.
Eclipse didn''t know exactly what Ob felt, but she knew now more than ever to trust Ob. Eclipse dove down towards the large pond. As they got closer towards the large pond, they looked for a cave or a place where they could make their own cave. Eclipse spotted something that might have resembled a little bit of shelter, like an abandoned nest. It was big enough for the two of them. The two of them shared a nod and entered into that space. The area was not big enough to be comfortable, but it was enough to live in for the night.
"What happened?" Eclipsed asked Ob. Ob was getting a small fire going.
"I sensed a large magical shift beginning. There is something odd about this island. The sun didn''t move, it hasn''t since we''ve been here." Ob responded, sitting in front of the fire. "I wondered if there was something that Charles wasn''t telling us. I think that the river hogs only are out at night but night happens every 12 hours and lasts for 12 hours, or until there is that large magical shift."
"I see," she said, staring out of the cave like she was trying to sense something. "The moon and sun act the same here."
"Even with magic, how is that possible?" Ob asked.
"It shouldn''t be. That''s why I am confused; when that magic shift happens, the sun will flip into the moon." Eclipse stated.
"Is there a magical being that can do that?"
"Not that I am aware of. Mind you, I am a child in dragon terms; there is much I do not know."
"Yeah, I understand that. The reason I feel like we should go get protection at night is because I think everything gets a lot stronger at night." As Ob finished that sentence, there was a giant rush of manna; the two of them felt the pulse in full force. The sunlight had faded, and the moonlight was bright. It was midnight, and the moon was in the exact same spot as the sun. Thus proving Eclipse''s theory that the sun and the moon are the same. "Well, 12 hours begins now. I say let''s rest for a few then head out to explore cautiously." Eclipse agreed and began to curl up and close her eyes. Ob did the same.
As Ob closed his eyes, he felt a powerful soul appear next to him; he turned to look and saw nothing but a silhouette. It felt eerie; there were two eye sockets that had a faint purple glow to them. The silhouette was shimmering purple, but it was very faint. Ob tried to look over to see if this was a dream or reality but could not find Eclipse. He pushed out his senses and felt them slam into a wall of that powerful soul.
Ob sat up and looked back at the being, a small chill running down his spine. "What are you?" he asked.
"You sensed my presence when you arrived." the being spoke into his mind. It sounded like a thousand voices speaking at once. "That is most unusual. You must have a strong aura. I had to come to see for myself, personally."
"So you control the island''s magic. That makes sense, you must be extremely strong."
"It is as you say. I am Scourge, I am a mystic being, a practitioner of the mystic arts. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ob."
"A mystic being, huh? Nice to meet you too, Scourge." Ob said, nodding, unsure if he could even shake this being''s hand. "Why do all these powerful folks keep appearing to me?"
"Because you are powerful, that cannot be the only question you have to ask me?" Scourge said.
"Hmm, I guess not. There is something wrong with this assessment, someone is lying to us. I don''t know what to do with that lie, but something is off. I have one question, though, what is a mystic being?"
"You are a cautious one, Ob. Yet you sit here willingly to talk to me, why is that?"
"Because something as powerful as you to change the entire magical landscape of an island, could kill me instantly. Caution be damned if you can kill me without me noticing, you spared me and are here talking to me for a reason."
There were a couple of moments of silence, "A mystic is something that decided they wanted more than their original life. They are those who surrender a portion of themselves to absorb a deity, a demi-god, or a cosmic power. I decided to merge with an astrological being, at least a small portion of myself. I can now control the sun and the moon of several small islands."
"So my mystic skills are tapping into my celestine pool of power?"
"Not quite; you chose mystic keystone items, no?"
"I did."
"A keystone item of the mystic arts is a small surrender. You have surrendered something to gain these mystic skills. That may not be unlocked until much later in your life. I believe though, you have made the correct call being a Celestine."
"Why do you say that?"
"Celestines are a unique race and are very rare. They are beings whose aura, soul, and physical potential are limitless and harmonized. This means if you had used a legendary keystone item your power would have been immense and your celestine nature would likely negate any side effects. But using a lower rarity keystone item of mystic allows you to tap into something related to aura or souls and since there is perfect harmony between them and your body, this creates an ideal scenario for you."
"Bet, so mystic typically are aura and soul skills exclusively? But because a celestine has perfect harmony between the three, it can add a physical skill in there?"
"Just so."
Dang, Ob thought there are a lot of things that have to come together to make this specific powerset work well. It almost seems as if it would be nearly impossible to figure it out; how did Abigail know? Did she even know, or was she just a good guesser?
"Do you know why I am here?" Ob asked Scourge.
"I do not. I have my suspicions but I will keep them to myself, for now. We will meet again, Ob Jones. For now, complete this assessment. Be cautious." With a final swoosh, Scourge disappeared, and Ob could see Eclipse once more.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Ob sat there for another few heartbeats, feeling that the aura disappeared. What was going on? Why were all these beings of immense powers coming and talking to him personally and directly? Ob did not feel he was of significance. He felt like he was a lost puppy trying to find his way around a giant shopping mall. He felt out of place, yet gods, mystics, dragons, and Abigail believed he was here for a bigger purpose. He didn''t feel like he was here for that. He felt like he was here by some freak accident.
Ob, his whole life, he had been told that he was not good enough. He was never enough for his birth parents as they gave him away. He was not enough for his family; his adoptive parents told him over and over how he had to earn his keep. He had coaches tell him that he''ll never be a Division One athlete. He had always had people tell him that he wasn''t strong enough, fast enough, or good enough to accomplish anything good in life. Yet despite all of that, he did.
So why was it in this world, a world that is telling him the opposite of what he is used to, that he had trouble believing it? He personally knew he was always destined for something great, but now that something great is right in front of him, he is unsure. He has a hard time believing in himself when others believe in him. Is it pressure, is it discomfort? What is it that makes it so hard to accept? He accepted dragons and magic much quicker than he did so that he could be powerful.
He thought back to Daisy. She had always believed in him. When he had his first track meet at 14 years old, he had saved all of his allowance to buy himself some cheap spikes. She was there for his first meet. She saw his first jump, she saw his first win, she saw his first loss. She saw it all. She would even go over to a friend''s house to watch him compete in college. She saw him win not one, not two, but four national championships in his event.
"You''re going to be the best Ob. Not because of your skill but because of your heart. I love you big brother." he looked down, reminiscing on that night he left. On that night, his older sister called to tell him the news that she had died. He couldn''t help but shed tears. This was the first time since being in this world that he allowed himself to feel. Feel the exhaustion, feel the pain, feel the loneliness. Ob couldn''t help but sob after all that his life on Earth had been. It wasn''t all bad, but it was definitely full of very bad moments; he never allowed himself to feel that, to feel sad.
The only thing left from his old world that he kept was the underwear he showed up in. He took them off, not needing them anymore, because he got more and threw them into the fire. A way of saying goodbye to his old self. He was spending time mourning Oscar-Blane Jones because he was dead. He didn''t have to say goodbye to them all, but in his mind, Oscar-Blane lay in rest next to Daisy. He watched the underwear burn; he watched as his last connection to his old world burned away. It was time that Ob started to believe the gods, the dragons, Abigail, and powerful beings, that he was powerful on his own.
"What are you burning, it smells awful." Eclipse said, waking from her sleep; she looked up and saw tears, "Oh, are you saying goodbye?"
"I am."
"I''m sorry, it must be very difficult to accept your death in one world while being alive in another. Let me be the first to say, welcome Ob Jones. I am honored to be your friend. What is the name of you that you put to rest?"
"Oscar-Blane, it is time to put that to rest. I am ready to accept what it takes to be great here and move forward."
"May he rest in peace." She said mournfully in a sign of respect. Eclipse had no idea what it would be like to wake up in a new world where everything was different. She did know what it was like not to be what she was told to be. She respected Ob for giving himself a clean split. "Shall we explore outside the cave now?"
"Yep, let''s do it. While we do. Let''s chat about Scourge." Ob told Eclipse of the mystic being who visited him. He informed her that this was what prompted him to want to burn his underwear. He needed to believe in himself the same way that all these great and powerful beings believed in him.
As they walked out of the cave, the moon was shining bright and left a slightly blue hue over everything. Eclipse used her power to create a small light so they could see their surroundings a bit better. They didn''t hear too much, but they could feel the pond and all the inhabitants within it. They walked around the large pond, scouting it. Searching to see if there were any nooks or crannies where a hog could hide their eggs. This was a fruitless task; they found nothing.
"I bet this is a two-part job." Ob said as the pair were making their way towards the coast. "I bet we have to catch the river hog during the day and have it lead us to its home at night."
"That would make sense but why would the river hog show you its home after you take its own?"
"Mm, fair point. There has to be something about this. Why would we have to hunt simply? -
"That''s cause," a voice appeared behind them, interrupting Ob. "it''s not just a hunt for you; it''s a hunt for me," the voice said those last words, chuckling. Ob turned around to see a large boar with massive horns that twirled. The hog had blue beady eyes, gills, and fins on its hind and forelegs. The tail looked like a shark''s tail.
"You can speak?!" is all Ob said.
"That is what concerns you? The fact that I can communicate, humans are so dumb," it whispered to itself.
"I''m not human, nor am I dumb," Ob said, pulling out Hades. "I understand now."
"What is that?" the river hog said.
"You are like a werewolf, you transform into something more powerful with moonlight, more vicious. Your eggs are not in a nest, they are loot."
"Perceptive little one ain''t ya, I am sorry but you will have to die now," The river hog charged. As it was sprinting towards Ob, like a mad bull, water started to appear in front of it to form what looked like an arrowhead. It was coming at Ob, and it was coming fast.
Objective: Kill the River Hog
Reward: River Hog Egg
Reward: Bonus
You have been given the task to slay a river hog. Survive and claim your rewards.
The river hog''s attack crashed into Ob with full force. Ob felt the brunt of the attack. He felt his arm split a little, a small fracture to his left arm. He grimaced in pain, damn that hurt. Ob used his item to identify his opponent, who is level 35, a tier above him. It was also a water user, which might pose a problem for dragon breath.
Eclipse and Ob got into their battle positions. Eclipse took to the sky and began to attack with dark breath. At the same time, Ob used a light bolt to send a slash of light at the hog. The hog dodged the breath but was smacked hard with the light bolt. The hog stumbled but roared in anger. It began to charge once more toward Ob; Ob didn''t get hit this time; he jumped into the shadows to watch the hog phase right through where he once stood. He reappeared as the hog was in the process of turning around. He sliced hard, and the scythe barely made a scratch on the hog''s hide. The hog was tough, especially being so many levels higher than Ob.
Ob sat back and thought hard. He had to think of some way he could deal damage right now because he was 0 for 2. Then Ob noticed something. As he was focusing back on his attacks and why they did little damage, he found out why. Ob thought of an idea and wanted to try it. As he jumped away from the hog after his attack. He told Eclipse of his plan. Eclipse then grew brighter and brighter using her solar eclipse power. The river hog started running in a panic, smashing into trees and rocks because it could not see.
Ob took full advantage and rushed into the hog''s rear end and summoned dragon''s breath into Hades; as the fire hit the tip, Ob swung the scythe on the same small cut he had made earlier. The dragon''s fire attack spread on the cut of the river hog, causing more and more to appear. By doing so, the river hog began squealing in pain; the fire was spreading internally. It smelled like fishy pork in the air.
This is when Eclipse swooped in and bit down on the neck of the river hog, causing all the blood to spurt out of its mouth and neck. With that, Ob jumped down, swinging Hades; as he swung, Eclipse had just gotten out of the way to act as a shield so the river hog couldn''t see the final blow with the hard swing and light bolt being used to add the mini-explosion. The river hog''s final noise was that of a person who was being guillotined. Ob watched as the head of the hog fell to the ground and rolled. The rest of the body disappeared into ashes.
"How did you know that would work?" Eclipse asked as she walked up beside him and gave her soul-link a gentle nudge with her snout.
"On my last attack, I could feel the river hog move its manna to protect the area where it was being hurt. It was subtle but I saw it. This is why no attacks did any damage," Ob began explaining, "My slayer nature allows me to attack things at a higher level without the typical tier disparity. So to have my attacks do nothing meant there was something going on. I focused on what was going on and if there was anything I noticed that I might have missed. Then that is when I remembered seeing a small shift in manna."
Eclipse just stood there in awe of what Ob had just told her. How did he go back and replay the attack? Was that an ability? What was that?
"I used to do it all the time when I was a former athlete. It''s called feedback, see what I did wrong or right and replicate or fix it. A useful skill."
"It is indeed."
Objective: Kill the River Hog - Completed
Reward: River Hog Egg
Reward: 15000 gold pieces (Amulet in effect)
Reward: River Hog loin x5
Reward: River Hog chops x5
Reward: River Hog tusk x2
The two began to head to find Charles now that they had gotten the egg. "Not so fast you two," a familiar voice from the shadows said. "I believe that you owe me that egg." It was the Harpy from the starting position. She was with two other recruits. "You see this is my fourth attempt at this assessment, I am tired of not winning, so I have been taking out the competition. I can and will spare you if you give us that egg you just looted." She smiled the smile of a predator getting ready to attack its prey. "Even better that we kill a damn Draconian and his pet dragon, a 3 for 1."
"Not gonna happen," Ob said as he was walking away from the group. He had identified them; they were all lower level than him except for the Harpy, who was only 1 level his senior. None of them had a fully unlocked powerset, so it makes sense they were all close in level.
"Why are you walking away then," the other recruit said. He was a lizard man, and without a response, he threw his spear right towards Ob.
Eclipse sent a fireball to intercept the spear and burn it to ashes. Ob sighed. Here we go again, more people wanting to start trouble that didn''t need to be here in the first place. "I will give you one chance to leave me alone. If not, you will be joining that river hog."
The group laughed, "There is no way we are going to back down from the likes-" Before the lizardman could finish his sentence, Ob had appeared behind him, swung Hades, and cut his right arm right off without another word. He looked at the other two. The Harpy screamed in anger. Before she could get her mace out, her arm was taken clean off by the scythe of this deranged man. What kind of person attacks before terms are set?! She didn''t really want to kill them; it was just intimidation tactics; it clearly didn''t work for this psychopath.
"Are you crazy?! Why would you mane him? We weren''t actually going to kill you!" The Harpy started screaming in panic.
"That is on you for playing games," Ob said coldly. Ob knelt over the body of the injured lizardman. He paused for a quick moment of silence. He hated this; he hated the violence, but he hated being treated like an ant amongst giants. "I''m sorry, friend," he whispered to the lizardman as its arm began to turn into green ash. "His being maned is on you. I hope it was worth it."
The Harpy and her lackey fled immediately. Just as they were running away, the night turned to day, and the high-noon island was back. Ob felt the presence of an insanely powerful being watching over him. They didn''t come speak to him, but they made it known they were watching him. Ob wondered if it was this world''s god of death, would they be pleased or upset? Ob pushed the feeling aside and watched the Harpy fade into the sunlight.
Chapter 25 - Status Quo
Vincent and Abigail were heading up to the Crusader''s HQ to register their party to be official. Vincent was shivering with excitement as they were taking the ropes to the top. This was something he and Abigail had been dreaming about for a long time, their very own crusader party. As they were walking up the steps, a small bird appeared in front of Abigail. It was carrying a letter. Abigail took it in hand and opened it.
"Congratulations, Ms. Abigail Montall, you have passed the Enchantress exam; here is your badge; wear it with pride."
Abigail began crying, reading the letter. All her hard work, all the failures, all the times believing she was not good enough were finally over. She had passed. She finally became an Elite Enchantress. She gave her boyfriend a huge hug.
"Oi, oi, I thought you and the dark one were a thing. But I like this, ye two are quite cute." The voice sounded very familiar.
"Maeva?" Vincent asked as he watched the small woman approach them from the HQ they were heading into.
"Yup that''s me, love." She responded, "what are you lot doing here?"
"Registering to become an official party. Abigail just passed her Enchantress exam; she is official," Vincent said proudly towards both facts.
"What does that even mean? Were ye not official before prettay? How can they tell ye what an enchantress is or isn''t?" Maeva questioned, genuine confusion on her face.
"That is actually a good question, Abigail, what is the point of getting that badge?" Vincent turned to Abigail.
"There is a rumor that if you do not complete this assessment and pass they can take away your power and replace it. So every enchantress works with extreme diligence to complete it so they will not have their power taken away." Abigail replied softly, still shocked she passed.
"BS, that sounds like a steaming bowl of pegasus poo," Maeva said, "You, miss, are lovely and strong, don''t let them idiots tell you what you can and cannot do. You''re a badass."
Abigail stood in genuine shock again. Maeva was brash, perhaps too brash for Abigail''s liking, but Maeva seemed like she really cared for the words she said to Abigail. She never felt such authenticity from her before, and it came off as natural, which was even more foreign to her. "Anyways, loves, I''m off to catch some well-earned shut-eye. I''ll be in town for a couple more days or so, staying at a small inn in the housing district. Come find me, and we''ll get a drink. Bring that good-looking man with ya," she winked, referring to Ob.
"He''s gone for several more days. Unless you wait for him, you won''t see him." Vincent replied.
"I just might," she said as her final word, then turned and ran the other way.
"Well, that was unexpected," Vincent said to Abigail, "You think that she really wants to see Ob or wants to be around you more?"
"Why would she want to be around me more?" Abigail said, staring at Vincent.
Vincent chuckled at the sweet innocence of his girlfriend. Abigail was still beginnign to see how great she could be. She was learning that she is powerful and wise on her own, not just Ob. Vincent looked her in the eyes and chuckled again, "Nevermind that." He said, kissing her on the cheek, "let''s go form a party.¡±
"How can I help you?" a rather bored and lifeless clerk asked the couple.
"We would like to establish a party" Abigail spoke up.
"Very well," the clerk looked behind her, then grabbed a small stone and handed it to Abigail, "Please touch the stone." Abigail did as she was told and felt a strange current of magic enter into her own magical senses within her aura. She felt the magic leave as the clerk pulled the stone away. She told Vincent to do the same. "This is your party stone; it is what allows you to add members; it is registered with your two magical imprints. You two have the authority to add or kick someone out. The rock will let us know when the party has been completed. Once it is, you may name your party by speaking into the stone. You will be sent various objective requests if you choose to accept them; the stone''s location will disperse the reward. Does that make sense?"
"Yes," they both said at the same time.
"Very good, best of luck, oh and welcome to the Crusader''s Federation." The clerk motioned them to leave with that final note.
As the couple was walking back to the housing district, Vincent thought about how easy that was. It was almost too easy. Vincent was a superstitious man; when it comes to hunting, you have to be. He did not enjoy easy hunts. They scared him and made him feel like there was something wrong, and usually he was right. This felt no different than an easy hunt. It left him with unease. As if there was something bad going to happen if they were not careful. He was lost in his thoughts the whole walk back to the inn that they were staying at.
"What is going on?" Abigail asked as they walked into their room after exchanging pleasantries with Helvuna, "You missed how she looked when asking about Ob, you''ve had that same expression on your face since we left HQ."
"My instincts are screaming that something is off about that. It was too easy," he responded, "I am not thrilled of always being tracked either."
"Hmm," Abigail said in deep thought, "I guess it does take the excitement away when we are operating as a party did not appear to offer any benefit. We could have just called ourselves a party."
"Yes, that''s what is troubling me; we put our magical imprint on this stone without really trusting that lady. For what, no real benefit, no speal about how important it is to be a crusader? Nothing, just welcome, and here''s a rock. I wonder what Ob would say?"
"He would likely say that it is not trustworthy, then question the legitimacy of the federation while bringing in some vaguely similar thing from his world." The two of them shared a laugh; they really liked Ob and were definitely missing his presence. "Do you feel the same concern I do with him using this stone? It could very well broadcast that he is a Draconian."
"By nature yes, but let''s face it Abs, we are too," Vincent said in an almost whisper.
"Why do you say that?" Abigail said, shock filling her eyes.
"We walk around with a rare and awesome dragon. Who doesn''t scare us, who is very cuddly, and who tells good jokes. All caution around her went out the window the second we fought beside her. She is great, and I wouldn''t mind having a dragon soul-link, and I get the feeling neither would you." Abigail narrowed her eyes at him but nodded. He was right, after all. She did really like Eclipse, and the thought had crossed her mind several times that she would like her own Eclipse. She had just been fighting it so often because she had always been told dragons are evil, evil creatures. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Was her whole upbringing a lie? Or was she just around the best dragon known in this world? Could both be true? She wasn''t sure, but to be honest, she was less hell-bent than she usually is to answer those questions. She was simply enjoying learning about dragons in a different light and having her previous way of belief challenged.
"Perhaps you are correct," she finally said, "I just always thought that this would be some amazing thing. Same with the Enchantress exam. What Maeva said has been stuck in my head. What was the point of that? How could they tell me whether or not I am an Enchantress? Do you think all these systems are in place so that we follow the status quo without question? Do you think maybe if we operate outside of these systems we will learn the real truth of it all?"
"Why did you want to take exam in the first place, besides the fear of losing that power?" Vincent asked sincerely.
"Being an Elite Enchantress allows me access to specific areas of study in libraries. In cities that have an Enchantress HQ, I can get some supplies at a discounted rate along with discounted room and board, but that will not be necessary with a friend like Ob. I want to go back to your original question before my tangent.
We are not Ob. We have been here in this dimension our whole lives. The questions he asks are through the mask of his old world. There is nothing wrong with that. If we, however, fall into the trap of trying to think like our dear friend, we will go insane. He has a brilliant ability to balance his questions with staying among the status quo; we do not possess such a gift."
Vincent took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "you''re absolutely right, Abs," he said, leaning in to kiss her. "I think I expected more, and I am riding that disappointment, and I allowed my mind to wander." He paused and still couldn''t shake the feeling that something was up, he had never noticed it before, but there was something odd about the whole situation. Would being a Maverick help Ob in the long run, or will that power disrupt his potential?
"What is bothering you," Eclipse asked Ob.
"There is something wrong with this assessment. It doesn''t make sense, how does this prove that I am a maverick? What does that even prove? The only assessment to have that would make sense is explorer''s are they capable of exploring and discovering, easy? Why does this feel like we are playing into someone''s sick game?" Ob responded, pacing their little cave.
"I am not sure; we hear of Mavericks as legends in stories but never learn the details. Do you not want to be a Maverick anymore?"
"Something Scourge said made me think," Ob said, looking at Eclipse. "Mystics are beings who surrender a part of themselves to gain something greater. Isn''t that what we¡¯re doing? We¡¯re sacrificing that third powerset for something greater? Who told physical beings that the only way to unlock the third power set was by federation only? I am really just thinking out loud.
What if this was all a lie? When I was given the opportunity to use the dark heart, VON said it would give me a random skill even if I didn''t have the powerset. How is that possible? If the powerset is supposed to do with the federation, why is there a keystone item that would unlock that?"
"Are you thinking you can choose the third and final powerset?"
"I¡¯m not sure, maybe. If so, I wouldn''t want it to be Maverick. What if it could be something dragon related or mystic? Or even Celestine? I think I want to figure out more of what is going on before I pass this assessment. My gut is telling me to not finish this assessment." Ob looked at his partner with her lizard-like eyes. "I don''t want to be the fool who fell into a trap because he was so new to this world." He walked out of the cave with Eclipse and jumped onto her back. "Let''s go find the Harpy."
"What is happening with this human?" a voice asked, watching the recording. They could not sense Eclipse or see her. They could only see Ob and what was directly in front of them. Ob was intentional in only using dragon speak to communicate with his partner. "Charles, why is he just sitting in a cave and not handing you the egg?"
"I do not know Timo. He is a strange man. I think that he could finish and pass the assessment, though; he is very quick with completing tasks."
The man called Timo stood in silence for a while before replying, "It appears he is on the move again; maybe he will call you." the pair watched as Ob approached the Harpy. They were shocked to hear what was happening in the conversation; he was offering to help her find another egg. Thankfully, the Harpies are a proud race and won''t take handouts, especially as her former makeshift party member was manned by Ob.
"It appears he is ready for you, Charles," Timo said. Timo watched as Charles left to go talk to Ob about the next steps. This man is very strange and dangerous; we need to leave a mark on his Maverick badge, Timo thought. Timo was a high-level official of the Crusader Federation; he was the branch executive director of Andohull. That seemed like a large, important title, but only for this town. Timo was a human; he was of average height with olive skin and short, buzzed white hair. His face was wrinkled and hardened with long battles and government work. He looked like a stereotypical war general from Oscar-Blane''s world. Timo wanted nothing but power, and he sought power out religiously.
Most people only saw Timo as a government official who was once a bounty hunter, but there was something dark lurking within Timo.
The darkness he tried to hide all the time was slipping out, watching Ob. Watching this human obtain all this power at such a young age. It pissed him off; it made him sick; what made this human so special that he could possess such large potential. If he hadn''t had better sense, he would have gone down and attacked him personally.
Charles suddenly appeared, snapping Timo out of his thoughts. The man''s face was pure red. "He just quit."
Sitting around the tree, the group had found Maeva across the street in the smaller inn. While they were grabbing food, they ran into her. They invited her up into their suite. The group chatted and got to know each other.
Vincent was impressed by Maeva''s strength; she had not had an easy life growing up. It is no wonder she likes being independent. It was definitely much different than the pampered life of royalty in which both he and Abigail were brought up. Maeva didn''t resent them, though; at first, she did, but after seeing how hard they actually worked, it made sense.
Maeva was not accepted in her last group. It made her feel even more isolated and like no one would understand her. But this group they acted like they knew what it was like to not belong where you were. Like they had a distinct understanding of what it was like to be a fish out of water. She liked it, it was refreshing.
"I''m sorry, yeah," She said, "I judged you a lot; I thought you were all high and mighty. Being rich with your fancy gear and whatnot." She looked down at the table and her drink in a deep gaze, "I shouldn''t have judged ye all in that manner; it wasn''t fair. Ye lot work ye tails off and it shows. I didn''t mean to make ye question ye assessment either, missy. Sorry for that."
"Your apologies are sweet but unnecessary," Ob''s voice came from his room, walking into the tree room, "we are high and mighty and do have fancy gear. We earned it forsure, but it doesn''t change the fact that we are rich. I mean, look at this place." All three stood speechless to see Ob walk through that door so early.
"Why are you back?" Vincent asked, "You should have another week at least."
"I can tell you later," he turned his attention to Maeva, "are you looking to join our party?"
"It''s you, eh? You''re the reason that they understand meh?" Maeva said in response to Ob, "You''re the one who is a fish outta water?"
"I''m sure I have a small part in that, sure," he said, "but yeah, I''m lost, and they help me be found. Do you want to be found too?" Abigail looked at Ob but did not interject. She trusted Ob''s judgment and especially his judgment of people. It was clear that he knew how people interacted and how people operated.
"Why are they silent, yeah?" she said, gesturing to the other two.
"Well, I think they are waiting for your answer," Ob responded with a small smile. He walked over to Vincent, gave him a warm embrace, and did so with Abigail as well. The group was a lot closer than when she first met them less than a month ago. She wondered what happened. She wanted deeply to be a part of it, though. She missed her home, but she loved her freedom, "Aye, pretty, why do you let him speak for you?"
"Because I trust Ob''s judgment in people" is all Abigail said in response.
"That''s a big offer, yeah? Can you give me a day to think it over." she said, once again looking down at her drink.
Ob walks over to her, puts a hand on her shoulder, and says, "Of course," with a genuinely warm smile.
Chapter 26 - Uncertainty
Timo was furious. How dare this bronze tier reject the Maverick''s assessment in his own regards. Acting like he is high and mighty, more than those who work so hard to be a Maverick. Timo did not like to be shown up by anyone, especially not anyone who was a couple of tiers lower than him. Timo discussed with Charles the possibility that Ob would fail the assessment. Charles said it was doubtful that he would fail.
Timo thought long and hard about what to do next; this was unprecedented. To have someone who is clearly a mark to pass, back out. Timo, a self-proclaimed genius, devised an equally unorthodox reward for such a behavior. He would grant the Maverick Keystone to Ob for his completion of the first two portions of the assessment in such a quick and efficient manner. He would not allow Ob to participate in the honoring ceremony for those who complete the assessment. The keystone would allow him to unlock that third and final powerset; it would allow him to be an official Maverick.
Timo thought this would be the best of both worlds. It would not allow a low level to show up in the assessment; it also would show how skilled Ob was, painting a target on his back, "perfect," Timo said out loud, "let the others see a person get a keystone item but not attend the assessment. They''ll ask questions, look into this bronze tier a little deeper, and give him all the attention I bet he is trying to avoid." Timo laughed to himself; he loved his life. He loved all the power that he held, and now he gets to get the best over people who think they got one over them.
Maeva was leaving the Inn after the proposal to join their party. It was something she had not expected, and she was more surprised her initial reaction was not no. Almost on the spot, she said yes. Something about this lot was attractive to her. It was as if they were a big family; she imagined they had been a party for years, a small group of friends who went out and did daring dos together. It was clear to her Abigail was the leader. However, Abigail didn''t dictate she led. She asked their opinions; she trusted her party members and wanted to hear what everyone had to say before making a decision.
This was different from what Maeva was used to. It was nothing like she had expected. She found that cool; there was a level of respect that she had never felt before. "Come on, Mae," She said to herself, "you don''t like being on yer own. Just a tough girl facade. I am tired of wearing the mask and bein treated terribly by other parties. Would joining this party be so bad?" She shrugged as she went back to her bed to get some rest; maybe sleeping would help clear her head.
As she laid her head down to rest, she felt a presence in the room. "Oi, what are yew doin'' here?"
"Why do you hesitate to join?" the voice spoke out in the shadows. "You clearly need them; they clearly need you."
"Now, why do you say they as if you aren''t part of the party? Come out of hiding so I can see yew." As she said, a dragon, the size of a big wild cat with shimmering black scales, walked out of the shadows to confront Maeva.
"I am a part of the party by proxy, yes, but I am no member." Eclipse said.
"Are you here to convince me to join? Did Ob send you here?" she asked.
"I am here to do just that; no, he did not. I knew how helpful you''d be when I first met you when Ob did. When they met, I was resting in my soul home, but I could sense your presence from within. You were bold, you were feisty, and you stood strong."
"Thank you," she paused, "I hesitate because a team has burned me before. I don''t want that to happen again; gotta look out for me and only me." She paused again and began to deflate, "at least, that is how I am now; I didn''t use to be like that. I used to be stronger and loyal, and I loved being a part of something. I no longer feel that. Maybe I miss it. Can yew make a promise for me, love?"
"What is it?"
"Can you promise that you won''t turn on Ob?"
"Why would I-"
"Don''t argue with me, don''t rationalize, that man loves the hell outta yew. I can see that from a mile away. He''s a delicate flower, no? If he loses you, the balance in his scales will fall and fall hard. So, in order for me to join the party, you have to promise me that you will not turn on him.
Eclipse sat for several moments without saying a word. Ob loved her? She never thought of turning on him; that thought was repulsive. The question itself gave her some anger. She didn''t think to turn her back, and she never wanted to. She hadn''t even considered that Ob and her had that familial love. It was natural; it was real. She took a deep breath and nodded.
Maeva jumped up with excitement, "great! I would say I''ll pack my things, but there is nothing to pack. I''ll follow you then, love."
"I will return to my soul home; I cannot be walking around outside by myself now, can I?" Eclipse said with a light sarcastic tone.
"Nah, I suppose not; I''ll see you soon then, by the way.. Before yew go, what''s yer name?"
Eclipse paused, recognizing she hadn''t introduced herself. Her mother and Ob would be ashamed of her. "I am Eclipse. a pleasure to be introduced." With that, Maeva was alone in her room, preparing to pack her things and head back to the Inn.
Helvuna brought in some food personally, as she did with some of her favorite guests. She was pleasantly surprised to see Ob sitting at the bar surrounding the central tree. "Oh, Ob, you have returned, welcome back." Her face flushed pale, then turned a bit red, "I- uh, I don''t have enough food for three. I apologize," she gave a respectful bow.
Ob chuckled, "No worries, Helvuna. I wasn''t supposed to be back for a few days, yet here I am." He gave her a warm smile; it was good to see her. He hadn''t realized how much he missed how she smelt, which was like a delicious bakery selling different pastries. They held eye contact for a few seconds, then she left just as quickly as she came.
"Well, that was adorable," Vincent teased Ob.
"Shut it," Ob responded mockingly.
"Why are you back?" Abigail said, ignoring the boys, "Why did you leave the assessment early? Did you fail?"
"Fair question," he said, adjusting to look at the two of them, "no, I didn''t fail; that was too easy. I met someone or something; I''m really not sure. The conversation we had really got me questioning some things."
"What did you meet?" She asked.
"I met a mystic, a nice dude. Oh and I met another god."
"What?!" Abigail said.
Vincent laughed, "you are a strange guy, Ob," he said, chuckling.
"That also got me questioning things: why do all these powerful beings appear to have a chat? But even more so the mystic talked about what it takes to be a truly mystic being. That got me questioning the Federation systems and powersets. So I decided that I needed to figure things out before accepting the prize of joining the Maverick Federation."Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
"What makes you so sure you would have passed?" Abigail said skeptically, "what makes you think that it will be just as easy as you say?" Her tone was starting to sound annoyed.
"You can be annoyed all you like, Abigail," Ob said flatly, effectively diminishing her annoyance; before she could apologize, he continued, "I''m not interested in an apology either. If you are going to be annoyed and start acting rudely I will be done explaining myself. I''m not here to prove my logic is sound in your eyes. I''m not here to prove that I make the right decisions all the time. I''m not here to prove anything to you." Now it was Ob''s turn to be annoyed. Abigail''s face began to drop in shame and sadness. Ob took a deep breath, calmed himself, and walked out of the room, nearly bumping into Maeva.
"Oi, watch out there love; where are you off to?" She said, watching an annoyed Ob storm off. He ignored her and had left them sitting there. "What happened?"
"Ob and Abigail have a habit of getting on each other''s nerves. They are like brother and sister," Vincent began to speak up. "They both are great and powerful leaders, insanely attractive, and they are smart. They say things in just the right tone that would piss the other person off. Then one of them storms off for a bit, and they''ll come back, and we will finish the conversation."
"So this happens often, then?"
"Often enough, I''m going to go take a nap. Welcome to the party," Vincent winked and headed into his room. Abigail was left there sitting with her head in her hands. She said nothing, so Maeva said, "lemme go talk to him, yeah?" and turned to follow Ob.
"Oi, Ob," she said as she saw the tall, dark man walking away like an angsty teenager. He paused to turn around and waited for her.
"Yes, Maeva?" He asked calmly.
"I get it yeah? You''re big and strong with a chip on your shoulder. Get pissed when someone tries to question your logic or decisions." she stated, "People like Abigail are people who won''t ever understand logic like you, not at first. They get insulted when things they struggled with are easy for some other folks, ya know what I''m saying?"
"Yeah, I gettchu," he said, walking over to a railing to sit on, "I don''t know why it bothers me so much," sitting next to her, he shoved her arm lightly.
"Because you are desperate to show her you are worthy of that badass dragon you have as a companion, or of your power. Vincent, he accepts it because he is as calm as they come. Eclipse is well aware of who you are deep down. Now, Abigail, she''s someone who doesn''t quite see it yet; she''s still trying to see her own, ya know?" He nodded, and she continued, "But ye can''t just run off when she pisses you off; ye get me, love? Sit there and just let her question you, and you answer her questions."
"Yeah that I understand,"
"I don''t think you do, love. We would be in that room celebrating my joining your party if you did! Listening to the story of why the hell you are back from this assessment so early. But instead we are out here on this lovely, very romantic evening." She said, giving him a smirk and a wink. Maeva did think Ob was attractive, but he was not her type; he was too human. "A romantic evening that you should be spending time with our lovely host, who has the hots for you." she gave him a friendly shoulder nudge, "Look, I can''t tell yew what to do. All I can offer you this. I am on yer side, Ob. You and I both have chips on our shoulders, both have a thing against royalty, and both damn stubborn. Can ye trust me love?"
Ob stared into her eyes. She was right; he had a chip on his shoulder since entering into this world. He has been facing asshole after asshole, constantly needing to prove himself. He needed to let that go and be better; he needed to be better for his party. They may not be perfect, but they were his imperfections, and he loved it. "Eclipse was right about you." he turned and hugged her, "Thanks, Maeva, I owe you one. I trust you."
For the first time, she showed that she was a little shy; she wasn''t used to being treated so kindly, so she hugged Ob back. Resting in his large muscular chest, hearing his heartbeat. She took a deep breath; she could get used to this, this feeling of being accepted and loved, "good, cause she is awesome. I am choosing to trust ye too."
The pair began to make their way back to their lodging through the town square. When a small bird appeared and dropped an item in Ob''s hand.
Item: Maverick Badge
Keystone Item
Legendary
The badge symbolizes that you are now a member of the Maverick Federation. This item unlocks the final power in the federation power slot. Would you like to use? Yes/no?
"I thought you said you left early?" Maeva said, looking at the badge in Ob''s hands.
"I did¡" Ob''s voice trailed off as he answered. "We should rush back now." The two of them start racing towards the Inn.
They rushed into the Inn to find Vincent and Abigail chatting next to the tree. They look up, Abigail looks to speak, but Ob speaks first, "I need to tell you about why I left." he said, pulling out the Maverick''s Badge.
"Oh, this will be a lot of fun," Vincent said as he reached for a snack. "Go on friend."
"Scourge, the mystic, discussed how to become a mystic; you have to sacrifice something in the pursuit of power. This got me thinking: what if these keystones are like what mystics do? Maybe not for guardians or explorers because that is something they choose to do. To be a Maverick is a choice, yes, but it''s also a right. You have to earn it. You are sacrificing the other two federations to gain this powerset, which could give you skills of either federation.
I wasn''t sure if that was what I wanted to do yet. I finished the first two portions of the assessment in a day and a half. One portion took so long because I was talking to the being in charge of the island, and we had to wait for it to turn night. The first one took me about an hour after he said go. Anyways, I am wondering if it will be possible to let being a Celestine give me power and skill if I use the mystic keystone items we have purchased?"
Abigail sat and listened thoughtfully before responding, "I have never heard of being able to use a keystone item without a powerset. I don''t doubt that you could. Honestly, Ob, I am not sure. There is very little written about Celestines. You are the first one my family has ever interacted with, and you have only interacted with me."
"Would you want something besides the Maverick federation? You could join the explorers or the guardians?" Vincent stated, "I just thought that the Maverick would best fit your potential¡"
"You''re right, Vincent. It does. I''m not denying the power that passing the assessment has, I am questioning the validity of the federation itself."
"That is all well and good to question, but that still does not answer the question of why you left." Abigail stated.
Ob took a deep breath, "In the cave," He began, looking at the group. His eyes were different; rather than the intense confidence that they usually show, they were watery and showed uncertainty. Vincent was taken aback; he had never seen Ob like this, and he wasn''t even sure Ob was capable of that. Abigail looked on expressionlessly; she had never expected this out of him. Something must have rocked him deep for him to speak with passion but look uncertain. "After talking to Scourge, I thought about my old home. I thought about how there were very few people who believed in me. I thought about how I was repeatedly told that I was not enough, but the few people who told me I was, I wouldn''t believe them. I have had three insanely powerful beings tell me about my potential. I have had y''all believe in my potential and who I was as a person. But there I was in that cave, doubting everything.
I decided then and there that my old world had to be in the past. It was time to move forward. Time to be that person that others see me as. In that decision, I decided that this assessment was rubbing me the wrong way; I am trusting my gut. Then, as Maeva and I were talking, I got this." He gestured to the badge he had sat down, "I should not have received this; I failed."
"You should not have gotten that." Abigail repeated, staring at the badge.
"Hold on, what do ye mean another world?" Maeva asked in confusion, "yew can''t just skip over that with ease, love."
"Right, I am a dimension skipper, no idea how I got here but I have been here for about 7 weeks." Ob responded.
"Well, I am definitely going to need to hear more of that later," she responded with a small smile.
"You should not have gotten that," Abigail said again, eyes still firmly stuck on the badge, "Ob, whatever you do, do not use that badge." This caused everyone''s eyes to shift to Abigail in shock. "For all we know it could be a fake, it could be a trap, whatever it is, something about that is not good news."
"I agree." Ob said, "I''m going to try something, and this is definitely crazy¡ I''ll be right back."
Chapter 27 - Celestial
Ob stepped into the soul home he had created for Eclipse. He walked over to the vacant, empty room for the next soul-link. Ob held the two other keystone items in his hands.
Item: Mystic Drop
Rare
Keystone Item
Use this item to unlock a mystic skill. This keystone item unlocks specifically a skill related to healing. You are in your soul home. Using the item here will have an unexpected effect. Would you like to use? Caution: using this item will unlock a skill of an unlocked power, thus unlocking the power to be randomized. Would you still like to proceed? Yes/No?
Ob took a deep breath and said Yes.
Item: Mystic Drop
Has been consumed. Consumption has produced the skill Celestial Vigor
Power: Unknown
Skill: Celestial Vigor
Being a celestine has provided you with a perfect harmony of soul, aura, mind, body, and magic. This harmony has shown you the celestial way to heal yourself. Vitality, Integrity, and Manna have significantly increased. Your damage resistance has increased. You are now immune to all diseases and poisons. Your internal clock has reached its peak and stopped there. You can no longer die of natural causes.
Bruh, Ob breathed out slowly after hearing that description. Looking at the other item, he did it again.
Item: Mystic Vile
Rare
Keystone Item
Use this item to unlock a mystic skill. This keystone item unlocks a skill specifically related to items and potion crafting. You are in your soul home. Using the item here will have an unexpected effect. Would you like to use? Caution: using this item will unlock a skill of an unlocked power, thus unlocking the power to be randomized. Would you still like to proceed? Yes/No?
Yes.
Item: Mystic Vile
Has been consumed. Consumption has unlocked the skill: Celestial Chef
Power: Unknown
Skill: Celestial Chef
This skill allows you to be adept at cooking, brewing, or growing anything related to food and potions. You can now use magic to create magically infused meals and drinks to help you or your allies recover. This will consume manna and integrity.
Status: Hidden Power Unlocked
You have met the requirements to unlock an additional powerset. This powerset can replace the federation powerset, or you can have it as an additional. Hidden power has zero effect on the total level. What do you choose? Replace or Add?
Ob thought about this long and hard; he still wasn''t sure about being a Maverick, but he could be a guardian or an explorer. Both of those could have skills that would be helpful. Or he could just keep it at three, although he doesn''t know why he would do that. That seemed wild to him. Add, he gave the command.
Status: Hidden Power Unlocked
Power: Celestial
You have unlocked the power of the celestial. To unlock this power, you must be a Celestine. You must unlock two skills that have to do with Celestine''s skills; in order to do this, you must use two keystone items on two empty skills within the same empty powerset. Your aura and soul strength have doubled. Your aura and soul levels will now grow at the same rate as your other levels due to the harmony a Celestine possesses. You have achieved perfect harmony.
Level Up: Skill - Dragon''s Breath
Dragon''s Breath is now level 24
Level Up: Skill - Dragon''s Hide
Dragon''s Hide is now level 15
Level Up: Power - Draconian Ally
Draconian Ally is now level 19
Level Up: Skill - Stalker
Stalker is now level 13
Level Up: Skill - Light Bolt
Light Bolt is now level 19
Level Up: Power - Slayer
Slayer is now level 16
Unlocked: Hidden Power - Celestial
Celestial is now level 1
Unlocked: Skill - Celestial Chef
Celestial Chef is level 1
Unlocked: Skill - Celestial VigorIf you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Celestial Vigor is level 1
Status: Ob Jones
Ob Jones is now level 11
Status: Ob Jones.
Race: Celestine
Level: Bronze Tier - Lvl 11
Progress to Silver Level - 42%
Natural Power - Draconian Ally lvl. 19
Skill: Dragon''s Breath lvl. 24
Skill: Dragon''s Hide lvl. 15
Nurtured Power - Slayer lvl. 16
Skill: Stalker lvl. 13
Skill: Light Bolt lvl. 19
Federation Power - Undecided lvl. 0
Skill: Empty
Skill: Empty
Hidden Power - Celestial lvl. 1
Skill: Celestial Vigor lvl. 1
Skill: Celestial Chef lvl. 1
Aura manipulation lvl. 5
Soul manipulation lvl. 6
You have 25 attribute coins. Would you like to distribute now?
Vitality: 400
Speed: 148
Strength: 167 (+5 Bonus)
Manna: 550/800 (+5 Bonus)
Integrity: 267/400
Yes, all to speed.
Vitality: 400
Speed: 173
Strength: 167 (+5 Bonus)
Manna: 550/800 (+5 Bonus)
Integrity: 267/400
Ob was awestruck by the powers he had just received, he left his soul space and returned to his friends.
"So, what did you do?" Abigail was the first one to ask.
"I used the mystic keystone items and well," He told the group to identify him so they could see what he had unlocked.
"How do you even unlock that hidden power?" she asked.
"The conditions were ridiculous. I had to use the right keystones, on two empty skill slots, within an empty powerset. And be a celestine." he responded.
"What are you going to do with that stone?" Maeva asked the question that was likely plaguing everyone''s mind.
"I am going to join the Explorer''s federation; my attack style with Slayer could benefit from gaining some agility skills."
"YES!" Vincent exclaimed, "Three explorers in one party will be great."
"Easier there, big guy. I''m an asterisk on that. Just focusing on completing my powersets more than anything."
"Doesn''t matter, still a win, WOO!" He said, punching his fist in the air.
"That is a wise decision, Ob," Abigail said, staring at Ob, her eyes twinkling as if she was proud of her friend. "Especially with that stone, unsure if it is a trap or not. Might be safest to get you to join another federation and then we can see what skills you could get. We will need more keystone items, though. We should seek out a trades hall."
"Now hold on," Maeva said, "this was given to Ob for a reason. We must be cautious about where you join." Maeva said, looking at Ob sincerely, "You''re not from this world, yeah?"
"Right." Ob nodded, listening intently.
"So you don''t know the politics of this world, yeah? Thought so. If someone gave you this and you DIDN''T pass the test, then it had to have been someone pretty high up there. Someone with a lot of connections? By ignoring this stone and heading to another federation in the same town, you could cause a lotta trouble for yourself, love."
"I see your point," Ob said, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. Should I have just made this my third powerset and not gone for four? Was that greedy?
"What are you thinking, love?" Maeva asked.
"I was given the option to make this my third powerset instead of it being my fourth. I am thinking if I made a mistake and should have just taken the three."
"I am not sure that would have solved your problems, Ob." Abigail spoke up. "Maeva is right, the politics of this world are likely different from where you''re from. Something is up and at a higher space, whoever gave you that keystone item must know your powersets. They had to have, from the first part of the assessment. You did not have your third powerset. If you would have rejected the offering to have a bonus power set and could not use this keystone that would have also caused bells to go off."
"So basically, I was given a double-edged sword. No matter what I do, I am going to have to watch out." Ob sighed in resignation.
"Hate to break it to you pal, you were gonna have to do that anyways," Vincent said laughing, "you''re a Draconian with a rare dragon as your soul-link. You have two gifts from two separate gods that you''re not a part of their following. You are far from being a quiet guy."
Ob chuckled. He couldn''t help but agree with what Vincent said; he was right. Ob was far from being just a face in the crowd. It was time he accepted that, as much as he wanted to be hidden; that was not going to happen. He was already too powerful. The question that came next was which side of the sword he was going to grab. Will he take the keystone and run the risk of something awful happening? Or will he ignore it and go somewhere else that will run the risk of social scrutiny?
Ob sighed. This was a big decision and not one he wanted to make. He took a long, deep, calming breath; what are the facts? Breathe, focus on the facts; he told himself, Fact #1: I''m already going to be noticed. Fact #2: I will have powerful people after me. Fact #3: I don''t know enough about the social layout to do anything about it. Fact #4: I hate politics. Fact #5, I need to get my full powerset here soon. After taking another long and deep breath, he nodded and said okay.
He told the group that he had decided what he wanted to do. He wanted to first get some food because he was hungry, and it had been several hours since he had eaten. He left the room to go to Helvuna. As he approached the front desk, there was a well-dressed man standing talking to the halfling. "I''m sorry, sir, I can''t tell you who and where my guests are staying."
The man was skinny but in a well-tailored suit. The suit was all black and had a red tie. He wore dark aviator sunglasses. His skin was leathery and red; he had two horns poking out of his head, and he had a long leathery tail that ended in a point. "Come on Helvuna," he hissed in a smooth sweet talking voice, "I''m only assssking for one man, ssssssurely you can look passssst your rule jussst thissss once?"
"I cannot, I will not. Good day sir." Helvuna said, voice getting more stern. "Have a good day Nom''ed."
"Fine, have it your way, half-ling," he said angrily, "What are you looking at, human. Mind your bussssinessss," he said, staring at Ob before turning away and walking out the door.
Helvuna put her head in her hands and rubbed her temples. She was muttering something inaudible as Ob walked up to her with a warm smile. "Tough customers huh?" He asked.
"Not even customers," She said, cheering up and watching her crush walk up to her. "Why didn''t you correct him?" She said, changing the subject.
"He doesn''t need to know," Ob said, now standing in front of the pretty half-ling, understanding what she meant.
"That is fair, "she conceded, "What can I do for you?"
"Can we get the family dinner meal, sent up to our room? We are all getting quite hungry and I don''t want to go anywhere else." she blushed at that remark.
"I can for sure do that. Do you care about the price, as in, should I tell you?"
Ob chuckled, "you can tell me whatever you like. As long as you know, that I will be paying you, abundantly."
She shook her head; there was no point in trying to argue with this Celestine. He was going to grossly overpay her and her staff. He never did it for thanks; he never did it to seem better than others. Ob did it because he genuinely wanted to help those who served him. This is one of the reasons why her cousin told her to seek him when he gets to town. With his generosity and his looks, she was well aware her older cousin had many motives behind why she did this. She wasn''t mad at it either. She loved it, and she was right; he was extremely good-looking and very kind but much stronger than he likely even knew. All very attractive qualities.
"Helvuna?" Ob said with a chuckle, "you looked like you blacked out for a second there."
Once again, her face turned red, "sorry, yes, I can get that food for you right away." She said, trying to rush past him. Before she could do so, she felt him grab her arm gently.
"Hey, why don''t you join us tonight too. It would be fun to have you eat and dine with us. Not as our host but as an invited guest." This time, his smile was large and genuine. Helvuna smiled back, her face now completely and totally burning; she adjusted her hair and said, "I''d really like that." Ob held her arm for a little bit longer, gazing into her eyes; he then let go and let her prepare their food.
Chapter 28 - Into Thin Air
Ob walked into the room and told the group that he had invited Helvuna up for dinner. Ignoring the look from Vincent and Maeva. He stated, "I think I will use the keystone. My¡ er Celestine race? I don¡¯t know how to say that. It should protect me from anything too harmful, being that I am a being now of perfect harmony. Tomorrow, let''s find a trades hall. I''ve got some stuff to trade in!"
"Booo, more explorer''s!!" Vincent replied, "But it makes sense. Sounds good to me, Ob!"
"I didn''t mean to rain on your parade big guy," Marva said apologetically, "I just want you to make the best decision that''ll avoid the most conflict."
"Thank you, Maeva. Seriously," Ob said with a genuine smile. "I have no idea about the politics of this world, and frankly, I don''t care enough to want to play the political game."
"Too late, love, you''re deep in it," Maeva said, shrugging. "The way I see it, yeah? Is you learn the big players and avoid them at all costs."
"Perhaps," Abigail interjected, "avoidance is not the correct call either. You are a bronze tier with an incomplete set. Be a low level, do not concern yourself with other things beyond that."
Ob sat and thought for a bit. He really hated social games. He found them elitist and trivial. Abigail was right; he just wanted to go out and explore, learn about this world, grow his strengths, and figure out why he was here or how he got here; there were so many great adventures out there. He couldn''t wait to begin that journey.
"How long are we planning on staying in Andohull?" Ob asked the group.
"At the very least a few months." Vincent said, "let''s spend time training as a team and completing party quests that we can get at the quests hall. That''ll help us build up some savings and get some gear. We should be ready to call this inn home," there was a knock on the door and a woman clearing her throat. Helvuna stood at the door with a couple of staff and trays full of food. "Especially if that''s what we get served," Vincent finished his sentence.
"I would quite enjoy it if you all stayed longer," she said to the group, but she was staring right at Ob. Unable to hide her smile. "Although we will need to upgrade your rooms so Maeva can have her own space. And no, that is not for debate." She said to Maeva, "And no," looking back at Ob, "you cannot pay more. I have instructed my staff to not take tips from any of you at all. Especially the tall, dark, and handsome one."
That comment got the room to turn to look at Ob, who, in turn, was smiling like a little kid. Ob hadn''t felt this way since Charlotte. After she left him that day, he hadn''t opened up to anyone and could barely trust anyone enough to do any type of dating. It had been a long time since dating. Dating on Earth was hard enough. How on earth was he to date here? On a completely new world!?
As Helvuna started to bring out the food, Ob went over to Vincent, "Yo bro, how does dating work in this world?" He asked, pulling him aside. The look on Vincent''s face made Ob immediately regret asking the question.
"YAS!" Vincent exclaimed, "well how is it in your old world?"
"I don¡¯t knw, you text a bunch, set days to go on dates, and then hook up. It''s very informal except for a select few who eventually get sick of the informality and try to be serious."
"That sounds terrible.¡±
"It is, my friend, it''s ass.¡±
"Your expressions are so different. Anyway, it''s definitely more formal in the sense of general courting. Ask her on a date, see where that leads, and become more serious, some do exclusive, some don''t; truly depends, there is no shame in either: marriage, then kids if you want. What is sex like in your world?"
"Depends on the crowd. Some welcome sexual exploration, some say wait till marriage and are adamant about it. Others are open to it, if it''s the right person, other people record themselves to sell it to other people to watch."
"Why would they?" Vincent started to stammer, "why watcht? Why not just do it yourself?"
"That is the great question, Vincent. That is the great question. So courting and such. Got it, thanks, boss, for the assist." Ob said, now looking at Helvuna; he couldn''t stop staring. She was very attractive. Beautiful and calming. Yet smart and demanding. Ob looked around the room; everyone was beautiful; Abigail was up there in the most beautiful being he had ever seen. He figured she was above that standard of normal beauty. Vincent, too, was a handsome man, but he had overheard Abigail and Maeva discuss that Ob was like Abigail, above the standard of beauty or handsomeness.
Helvuna had her hair down, and the blonde wavy hair fell just past her shoulder. Her green eyes caught Ob''s, and she moved her hair, a nervous tick Ob had observed, and gave a soft smile. She had been talking with Maeva and Abigail. Ob wondered what Eclipse would think. She had been resting to level up after the fight with the river hog. "Your words are loud, Ob," Eclipse responded in his head. "We can always speak even if I am resting."
"Ah, my bad, right, we''re connected," he responded, slightly embarrassed, "since you''re here, thoughts?"
"I am a dragon. We do not love the same way you physical beings do." she responded with a slightly sarcastic tone.
"Not that! I meant, do you trust her? Is my attraction blinding my trust?" Ob said, shaking his head.
"I do." Eclipse said plainly, "I believe she has good intentions. I believe she is genuine. I do think you should not tell her you are not from here unless she figures it out. Be cautious about who you tell. I know, I know, you are aware of that information. I still must inform you. Be careful, friend." She said that last line with sincerity. Ob could feel the compassion expressed by Eclipse much more than he had ever before. He didn''t take offense to her advice as he used to because he felt that it was coming from a genuine spot of care rather than condescension. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
"Thank you, Eclipse. I appreciate you big time." Ob said and let his friend go back to resting.
Helvuna walked over to Ob and gave him a playful nudge. "Now who is the one who is staring off into the distance." she teased.
"I was talking to my dragon. I''ll have you know." Ob said in a playful, prideful tone.
"Oh," she paused, "so the draconian does have a dragon. And where is it?"
"I guess I misspoke, she is not mine, she is my partner. I don''t own her, nor do I want to."
Helvuna took a moment to look at Ob; she put her arms around his waist to face him. Ob took a deep breath. She smelt like a kitchen that was making the most delicious aromatic meal. "You, Ob, are quite different," she went to kiss him on the cheek, "come on, your food is getting cold." She grabbed him by the arm and led him to the table with his friends.
"Can I please go see him?" a young voice said, "just cause you hate him doesn''t mean I have to."
"Quiet Daisy, you cannot! That is the last time you can ask." A deep voice angrily said. "He has abandoned this family, when we have done nothing but provide for him. What more could he have wanted?!"
"Love." Before Daisy could say the next word, she was slapped across the face by her father. She looked up, tears welling in her eyes. Did he just hit me? "I should have left with Ob! I HATE YOU!" Daisy, without another word, took off running into the forest. That was the last time anyone in her family saw her. Daisy''s mom, Blaire, had expected Daisy to come back through the front door after a couple of hours. After 4 days, she couldn''t handle it anymore and called the police. She had told Blaze, her husband, that she was concerned the first day. He would not allow her to call the police. Until she became inconsolable and he let her.
The police had come to listen to the filed missing persons report. They were familiar with the Jones family. Seeing that one of their sons was in and out of the small local prison for petty crimes. They knew that the dad had a hot temper and would lie often. To hear that there was a missing person''s case was not surprising to the two officers. They were more upset because they lost the drawing of straws to take this case.
They took in all the information and left. They hadn''t asked many questions, so they sent out a search party to find her in the woods. The tracking dogs they had sent out found Daisy''s scent. They had gotten to a point in the middle of the woods where her trace had just vanished. No more steps, no more tracks, no signs of struggle. She had just disappeared out of thin air. What happened to Daisy Jones? This became the talk of the town for many months, close to a year. To the family, the Jones'' played it off like she was alive but very ill. They didn''t want to have others think that they were not good parents; after all, their image was important. Eventually, they all gave up searching; they had to accept the fact that their youngest daughter was gone.
As the group ate, they began telling stories of how they all became the type of person they are now. It started with Vincent telling these grand hunting expeditions he used to do with his family. Vincent was an amazing storyteller; he would use full body gestures, change his tone, pause for dramatic effect, and reenact certain moments; it was very entertaining. The whole group would sit, laugh, eat, and listen to stories together.
Maeva went next, and Ob was very interested in hearing more about her story. "I grew up in a small town just south of Eleyross, the city about the size of Andohull on the Soudori Continent. The town was called Aramore. Eleyross is home to all these big-timer Crusaders or Royalty. This is the city that you will often find dukes, princesses, kings, queens, etc. They stay in the royal district, which is about two times the size of the housing district here. They have all these private schools and private everything. It''s all prim and proper. You would think, yeah, with all that money, they would share it with the rest of us? Nope. They took it from us. We were hard working class farmers, crafters, bakers, and all of that. We''d bust our butts to sell food to the big city, but the royals would up the prices to sell, and we''d barely make a gold piece.
So, I decided that I would be a crusader. Then send money to my family whenever I get the chance. I told my mum that I wanted to be one when I was a wee little girl. She saved every bit of gold to send me to one of them uppity private crusader academies to train me to be the best crusader ever. I made a couple of friends at that school, or so I thought. I''m small and agile. I can scout well, hide, steal, all of it. And you see, this group saw that too. They thought that I would be a good asset to have in their party. I was so excited.
Until I realized I wasn''t an asset, I was an expendable resource. That''s a story for another day of what happened there, loves. It was at that moment, though. That I decided that I could only work for myself. I told my mum I was off to Andohull to get away from the royals and make a name for myself. So I did, left that is, and still haven''t got a name for myself. I barely make enough to pay monthly rates and for food. My skills set, as it turns out, are meant for a party. So that''s why it made me emotional when you offered to join." She said, motioning to Ob, "there is something about you, Mr. Celestine, that is good-natured; your aura, your presence, whatever it''s what made me decide to join. Now I am eating the best meal I have had in years.
Now look, I don''t want is you lot give me handouts after hearing that story," she said, wiping tears from her eyes, "I''m a big girl, yeah? I''ll take my share of the loot just as even as this one," she said, motioning to Abigail, "I''ll prove myself to you; I swear by it. I have to make it big. I have to, yeah, for my mum." she concluded, getting too choked up to continue. Ob walked over to her, gave her a big hug, and whispered, "You ain''t gotta prove a damn thing to us, Mae." she hugged him back and burrowed her head in his chest. She had never had anyone outside of her mom that cared for her this much. It felt like she had an older sibling that was ready to fight for her till the end.
She let go of the hug and looked at Helvuna, "What about you, love? Why be an Innkeeper? Ever thought about crusading?"
"I am not the crusading type. This used to be my Aunt''s Inn. I was practically raised in it. She and my cousin, Prancey, who you''ve met, and I all lived here. My parents passed when I was young. They were killed in a fight with a cerberus. The vile creature was a soul-link with a demon. The two came to our realm to try to take over our little town. My town was called Hallowbrock, but it has fallen; this is why I came to the city with my aunt and cousin." She paused to gather herself, clearly still shaken by this story, "I met many great people here through the Inn. It was amazing. I loved all the people from the Inn who I could interact with. All the stories, all the adventures, the expeditions, it has been the best few years."
"Do you ever want to travel and leave the city?" Ob asked.
"No, I don''t. It''s not that I am afraid of the dangers, but I am an orphan because of the decision of my parents to be guardians." She responded, her eyes now twinkling. "It does make it hard when I meet some extraordinary people, like you all, and they leave for various crusades. I wonder if they ever think about my little Inn." She looked down at her hands and grabbed Ob''s interlocking their fingers. "I learned, though, to cherish every moment with the people who wander into my Inn; you might make some lifelong friends." She looked at Ob, who was giving her a concerned look; she giggled, "Not like that, you''re definitely a first." Ob sighed a big sigh of relief.
Ob knew that there was an expiration date with him and Helvuna; he would have run for the fences, but he didn''t want to. He enjoyed her. He liked how she made him feel. He liked her cooking and felt he could learn a lot from her. "Well, it looks like I am going to need to find someone for myself now, don''t I?" Maeva said, causing laughter from the rest of the group. "Helvuna, love, you mind snagging me a room before you and Ob call it a night?"
"Certainly," Helvuna said, unlocking herself from Ob, "I''ll be back," she whispered into Ob''s ears, which made the hair on his neck rise slightly. Ob sat, with a full belly and a full heart, looking at his new friend, a new girl, and smiled wide, watching the two women walk out the door.
Chapter 29 - Zephyrus
Item: Maverick Badge
Keystone Item
Legendary
The badge symbolizes that you are now a member of the Maverick Federation. This item unlocks the final power in the federation power slot. Would you like to use? Yes/no?
Yes.
You have gained the federation power, Maverick. You have displayed what it takes to be a Maverick. You have shown grit, tactic, and wit to allow you to pass the Maverick assessment; congratulations.
Skill: Celestine Fusion
Maverick has unlocked the skill Celestine Fusion. You are producing an intense amount of energy. Infuse that energy with manna to release it in various attacks. The attacks can be long-ranged or short-ranged. Fusion attacks are heavy-hitting, dealing significant damage. Fusion attacks can be held to increase power before being released. Damage is equal to relative energy output.
Interesting, Ob thought, I didn''t think that would unlock a skill for me. I thought I had to use keystones. But I guess it was a keystone. Well, that is one less thing I have to buy at the Goldar temple.
Objective: Join a Federation - Completed
You have joined a federation. Reward for joining the Maverick Federation.
Reward: Keystone Match Box
Reward: Wand of the Loyal
Reward: 100,000 gold pieces
Ob looked out the window to see the moon still shining high. He couldn''t sleep. His mind had been racing all night long, looking at the badge in his hand. He was nervous. He didn''t like being here with the thought of something or someone tracking him. He still wasn''t that strong but wanted to get stronger. He was eager to train but was also practicing patience. Calm Ob, there will be plenty of time to train. Realizing he hadn''t spoken to VON in a while, he gave the mental command.
Ob slipped out of bed to go sit in the moonlight on the balcony. Hey VON.
Status: VON has leveled up
VON is now level 10
"Goooodnight, that''s a lot."
VON can be bonded with a soul-link. VON''s form will change to match the aura and soul of the user. This form will not be able to be changed after. VON will revert back to its old form from now on. Would you like to create a soul-link with VON?
"Hell yes!"
Soul-link connection is being established.
As Ob was sitting, waiting for VON to fully materialize, he was so curious as to what he would turn into. Was VON even a he? Would it be a small silver fox? Is that useful? If VON is transforming into something, does that mean he is a baby? How does that work? All these questions were sprinting through Ob''s mind all at once. As each question raced by, he could start to see a small light appear in front of him. The light grew, not brighter but bigger; golden swirls began to form around the spot in front of Ob.
Ob held his breath, unsure what was going to appear, but he was so excited. Eclipse appeared next to him, "I am getting a roommate, how fun." Ob turned to look at Eclipse, a little shocked at that response, "What? You thought I would get jealous; you''re cool but not that cool, Ob." She said playfully, "It is another purely magical creature,"
"Another dragon?" Ob secretly did not want this to be the case. One was enough.
"No," she responded, "no other dragon would accept the soul-link with you already having one. As a matter of fact, most creatures wouldn''t accept it. There is one, though, that gets along really well with dragons."
A creature with two furry large paws and two large eagle-like talons started to appear. As the body was more revealed, the legs of a lion above the large furry paws, the fur was diamond ice blue. Above the eagle''s talons were thick furry legs; the fur matched the fur of the rest of its body. The midsection of the body was thick and muscular, all with that same diamond ice-blue fur. It had two wings, big enough to carry the heavy body. The connecting point between the wings and the body was that same diamond ice blue as the fur. The feathers that extended out of the joint were a gradient blue, ending a dark glacier blue. It had the face of an Eagle, but not one that he had seen on Earth. The feathers were the same silver and white, but the beak was dark red/black. The creature''s fur would shimmer in the moonlight. The shimmering reminded Ob of a frozen waterfall. Once again, he found himself in absolute awe of the creatures and their beauty. He was face to face with a griffin that looked like it had been frozen in a glacier.
What looked like the opposite of Ob, its eyes were glacier blue and sharp. They stared back at Ob quizzically as if it was wondering how it got here.
"Hello, Oscar," The griffin spoke into the minds of Ob and Eclipse, "Hello, Eclipse, I am Zephryus."
"Like the god of the west wind, in my world." Ob said.
"Just as you say." His voice was deep and mellow. It was like what he imagined ice would talk like, cool and relaxed. The direct opposite of Eclipse, who is fiery and aggressive.
"I see," Ob said, looking back and forth between his two companions. "You''re the final balancing piece to Eclipse and myself. You are the ice to Eclipse''s fire? More harmony."
"Just as you say. Do you mind if I call you Oscar? Ob is a nickname of a name you no longer recognize."
"Sure, that''s fine." Ob said, "You can too if you''d like Eclipse."
"No, thank you. Ob is great with me, friend." She responded, "A griffin, huh? Why did you say yes to this soul-link?"
Zephyrus turned to Eclipse, "Because of you. Your mother speaks highly of you; I wanted to come to see the beautiful, feisty solar eclipse dragon for myself."
Ob raised an eyebrow at the comment. Was that mythical creature flirting? He didn''t know whether to be impressed or disgusted, so he elected with silence. Ob looked at Eclipse, recognizing that he had a better bond with her, and noticed she was thinking the same thing. Once again, Ob didn''t know what to feel, so he just ignored the feeling altogether and said. "So are you level 10 like VON? Also, how did you come from VON?"
"Your earthling ability was always meant to be a charm. The charm would adapt to you. What you turned out to be, what your nature would mostly become. You turned into a mystic celestine. Once VON, as you called it, got the soul reading it needed, it boosted itself to level 10 which unlocked the charm. That is how I was offered and accepted the link. I am not level 10. I am level 16, the level you are."
"That would make sense since my aura and soul manipulation came from my earthling ability. Speaking of abilities, I have been meaning to ask¡ how come they don¡¯t show up when I pull up my status, only did the first time or when they were upgraded? How do they upgrade? The first time I looked at them, they were question marks. Also, why didn''t identify work at showing abilities either? Is there a maximum of abilites one can have? And lastly, were you at a higher level at one point?"
"Abilities are special to the individual; they are one of the most treasured secrets any magical or somewhat magical being can possess. Only a few species can have abilities to evolve or upgrade as you say. Celestines and Humans. The rest of us are set with the abilities we are born with. How they upgrade is unknown. The amount you can have is unknown to me. You will have to manually check your abilities outside of our status.¡±
Ability: Way of the Dragon
You have woken up in a different dimension; your new first dimension was one that was ruled by dragons. You have created a soul-link with a particularly powerful dragon race, thus evolving your ability. The Way of the Dragon allows the ability to live in multiple dimensions. Flight and teleportation are now available to learn. Magical senses and manna pools have increased significantly. ????, ????, and ????
Ability: Aura Manipulation
You have created a soul-link with a particularly powerful dragon race, thus evolving your ability. Aura Manipulation increases UI, allowing the user to see how difficult it would be to manipulate an aura. Users can now learn how to control aura. Users can now see other''s souls. Users can now learn how to control souls.
Ability: Absolute Resolve
You have swallowed your fear to hold steady in the face of grave dangers. You are now immune to fear aura attacks of those from a maximum of one level higher. Fear Aura attacks from at least two levels higher do reduced damage. You have gained bonuses to your soul and aura defenses. Fear Spells from your level or lower result in boone to strength.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°Thank you for showing me, you have a good set of abilities. To answer your question about my level; Yes and no. As you know purely magical beings are different in terms of powers. When we are not a soul-link we have our power level then; The moment we accept a soul-link our powers get scaled down to the soul-link companion. This is why Eclipse here was level 1 when you met but she was also young."
"But I thought you had to be my level; otherwise, you can''t accept."
"That''s dragons only Ob." Eclipse said, "that is just our nature. We are too proud to stoop down. Your system must have put that warning in so you wouldn''t waste your charm."
"I believe that is accurate," Zephyrus said. The griffin paused for a moment, then looked at Ob with sincere eyes, "I am excited to be on this journey with you, young Celestine. I believe it will be a taxing one but one that will be enjoyable."
"Likewise! I''ve always wanted to meet a griffin and now I have one as a friend and partner. I''ll get started on your soul home, I wonder what you''ll appear as on my body."
"I believe I will change your hair color," Zephryus said, "thank you for the accommodations. I will likely not be as hidden as Eclipse, here."
"Probably not, are griffins hated?" Ob asked.
"No, we are revered." Zephyrus said.
"Great, more attention," Ob said with a sigh, "I''m just going to have to accept this huh?"
The two soul-link companions nodded at Ob''s rhetorical question. "WAIT!" Ob said with sudden realization, "Did I lose VON?!"
Help:
You still have access to VON but only as a UI/HUD and guide as it first was. VON has lost the ability to level up. VON has lost the ability to create projections and spar.
"Smooth, bummer about the projections though. Oh well, good, that would have been tragic," Ob said.
Soul-Link: Zephyrus
You have created a soul-link with the griffin Zephyrus.
Status: Zephyrus
Bronze Level: 16
Skill: Icy Bite
Using their ferocious fangs imbued with magic. The bite will leave ice burns on opponents if the attack is not fatal.
Skill: Icy Talons
Using their ferocious talons imbued with magic. The slashing attack will leave ice burns on the opponent if the attack is not fatal.
Skill: Moonlight
The griffin''s feathers and claws have healing properties. Using magic within the griffin can heal wounds.
Ability: Treasure Hunter
Your soul-link partner has the ability to spot gold or valuable items. Your chance of receiving these items from drops off of vanquished enemies has marginally increased, passive.
Ability: Nobility
Griffins are noble and loyal creatures. Born to fight evil and protect. A griffin provides strength and speed bonuses to those in its party when fighting those who have an evil heart, soul, or aura.
"Do all griffins look like you?" Ob asked.
"Yes, why?" Zephyrus responded.
"In my world, y''all don''t exist. But the myths and stories all describe y''all to be golden brown and reside where the sun never sets."
"I see, here most griffins reside in colder climates. Where the sun rarely shines."
"Interesting," Ob mused; the more he interacted with these great magical beasts, the more he felt like many people from his former world had come here long, long ago. Bringing back the myths to his former world. Not completely, though; I wonder if that was intentional or if they were changed due to the passing of stories. "Well Zephyrus, welcome to the team! We''re still," he motioned to Eclipse, "getting used to each other, but we''ve formed a great bond over the past few months."
"Your bond is quite strong; thank you for your welcome," Zephyrus said, bowing his head slightly. As he did that, Ob went back to lie down in bed. What was once filled with unsleepable exhaustion was now filled with excitement. VON had to have been a gift to Ob for the specific reason of providing a charm item. He wasn''t sure if the dragon charm was a gift or extreme luck. He couldn''t believe he was that lucky, though. There was a point where too much luck became suspicious, and he was two legendary items past that point.
Ob wanted to learn more; he wanted to find out why he was here. Scourge said he wasn''t sure how he got here, but he was sure it was for a purpose. He didn''t know if he should investigate more or leave it be. There was something deep inside Ob that he wanted to understand what brought him here. There was another part of him that didn''t want to know; he wanted to live in ignorance and live his new life with his new friends, his new special person, and his new companions. Adventure is here and exciting. Did he want to ruin that, figuring out how to get back to the life he was okay with?
Zephyrus and Eclipse stood there giving each other a look and watching Ob stare at his hands, not saying a word. Eclipse walked toward her friend and rested her head against his side. She wasn''t sure how he must have been feeling, but she knew he was deep in thought about something.
Ob looked up from his thoughts to see Eclipse providing him comfort. He smiled, leaned back, and gave a grateful nod. "Clearly, I am lost in thought; I just don''t know what to do." Ob began; he sat on the floor, taking a deep breath. "I want to know why I am here. I also want to not know. This life is awesome; this new start has provided me with so much." he paused, searching for the right words to say here. "Opportunity, gifts, blessings, adventure! I don''t know!" his voice started to rise as he got excited. "The world is full of wonders and beauty."
Zephyrus felt something inside of him flutter; this man, this Celestine, was a fresh start. He sensed a big desire to be good in Oscar. He sensed a desire to remain balanced, to fight evil, to be whole. He sensed something else, but he couldn''t figure it out. Was it determination? Was it pride? Was it love? Whatever it was, it was attractive to Zephyrus, and he assumed everyone else. Zephyrus felt a huge pull to help this man find exactly what he wanted. He felt a sense of duty to fight to the ends of the world with Oscar. "I''m with you, Oscar." is all Zephryus said. Ob looked into the glacier-blue eyes of the griffin; he understood all that was meant in that statement. Ob nodded gratefully at him.
"I got your back Ob, you know this. We are here. Whatever path you decide, we are with you." Eclipse said.
Abigail woke up next to a snoring Vincent. She looked over to her left to see her boyfriend in his purest form, mouth widely agape, drool falling slowly, long, deep snores with every breath. She thought about how wonderful he was and how adorable he was even in this state. She rolled out of bed and went to get ready for the day. It was time to get their first quest as a party.
After getting ready, she walked into the main room to see Ob already there; he looked like he hadn''t slept all night. What she saw beside Ob was truly shocking. "Ob.." she said cautiously, "did you get a new friend?"
Ob looked at Zephyrus in shock, "OH MY GODS A GRIFFIN!?!?! WHAT? HOW?!" he said sarcastically. Abigail was not amused with what he said.
"Sarcasm, the poor man''s humor," she said, rolling her eyes. "Who is this creature Ob?"
"I agree; sarcasm is beneath you, Oscar. Lady Montall, I am Zephyrus. I am Oscar''s new soul-link companion." Zephyrus said confidently. Ob shrugged and laughed, "It, my new friend, is not beneath me, not at all." Ob responded.
"Pleasure, Abigail is fine." She said with a small nod. "So you," now looking at Ob, "you got another charm? How and you used it without asking me 15 hundred questions."
Ob looked back, "It''s closer to 13 hundred questions, please. I''m not totally helpless. It somehow came from VON. VON leveled up to level 10 and synced with my aura and soul, then was able to act as a soul-link that matched my soul and aura. Then out popped Zephyrus."
"You, sir, are blessed," Abigail said, repeating herself.
"I know, something is happening." Ob responded. "Are we ready to go get our first quest and have Maeva officially on our team?"
"We are, once they all get here, we will head over together."
"A GRIFFIN!!!" a male voice shouted from behind Abigail, "THERE IS A GRIFFIN IN OUR ROOM!"
"Yes, Mister Vincent, I am Zephyrus," Zephyrus said.
"WE GOT A GRIFFIN ON OUR TEAM! THAT IS SO COOL!!" Ob raised an eyebrow. He had never seen Vincent so excited, never seen him lose his cool like this. It was like a little kid seeing their favorite uncle with gifts.
"Yes, love," Abigail said, "we just did all these introductions; we could talk more on our way to the federation."
"Ooo, a griffin," another female voice said from the front of the room, "you''re so pretty, love. I''m Maeva, I take it you''re with that one there, mmm?" she said, nodding towards Ob.
"Just as you say," Zephyrus said, "I am Zephyrus; nice to meet you, Lady Maeva."
"Not lady for me, that''s too prim and proper. Maeva is good love."
"Are we ready to go to the Crusader district?" Abigail said, losing patience. "We can talk about how lucky Ob is on the way there, Okay?"
The group all nodded and began their journey toward the Crusader district. On the way there, they began discussing how Ob got another set of awesome powers. They were shocked that it came from the Maverick badge. It was a big benefit that no one had expected. Not even Abigail she speculated that it had his celestine nature counteracted anything that could have been negatively done. Or it was Ob himself; his soul and aura strength were too strong to be controlled. They weren''t sure; not even Zephyrus was sure; what they did know for certain was that giving Ob the badge was not intended to have such a perfect result for Ob.
"Welcome to the Crusader Federation, how may I help you?" the clerk said to the group of four and the griffin.
"Hi Clarence," Ob began speaking, "I am Ob, these are my pals, we just formed a crusader party, well Abigail here did-" Abigail pushed Ob to the side and began speaking.
"Sorry about him, please ignore my friend here, Clarence." Clarence looked at Ob quizzically, then giggled. "We would like to formally add Ob Jones and Maeva Colbine to our party. Then look to get our first quest."
"Ahh, yes, would you like to create a name for your party? You said Ob and Maeva would be added to your party. Very good, just hand them the stone you had received from the time you created your party." Clarence was used to parties coming in and demanding things without conversation. This group was fun and had a different energy with them. She hoped they would go far. She enjoyed their company.
"Do we have to name our team now?" Abigail asked, feeling awkward about being put on the spot.
"No, of course not; just find any federation building and any clerk. They can get that updated for you. For now you will be known as party number 51685." Clarence said with a giggle.
"51685," Ob said, laughing behind, "What a great name. There are that many parties out there?"
"There are many parties out there, yes. The federation has been around for many, many centuries; the numbers do not reset," she responded.
"That makes sense; thanks, Clarence!" Ob said gleefully behind Abigail. Abigail turned and shot daggers at Ob to tell him to shut up. "Oh, relax, Abigail! I''m just having fun with the super nice Clarence here."
Abigail''s face twisted in anger and annoyance, "is it too late to take him off my party? Thank you, Clarence, you have been exceptionally helpful. Could you show me the way to the quest board?"
"Why yes of course," Clarence responded with a helpful smile, "if you head out to the main door and turn right, there is a large doorway with a question mark symbol. That is where the quest board resides, in the quest hall. You''ll want to focus on quests lower than level 25 for the time being. With a team of 6 you can likely take out quests level 50 or below. But you look like a more than capable group, perhaps taking out silver could be possible."
"Wonderful, that is awesome information, thank you for your time." Abigail responded. Before she could turn to head off towards the quests hall, Ob walked up to Clarence.
"Here, thanks for helping us today, I know it''s your job, but you went above and beyond with that extra bit of info; we appreciate you," Ob said and handed her a small bag of coins as a thank you. He gave her a big, genuine smile. Before she could respond, she looked up to see he was turning away.
She grabbed the coins and looked back at that strange man. Why did he give her a tip? Why was he so genuine and nice to her? Whatever that reason was, she hoped party number 51685 would be successful because they were friendly and represented what the federation used to be. She missed those days but had hope that they would return because of them.
Chapter 30 - Its a Great Big World; Lets Explore the Hell Out of it
Heading into the large quest hall, the party made their way to a specific billboard. There were several of these boards hanging around the quest hall. The outline of the billboard was a dead giveaway where they should be going as it was outlined in their specific metal type.
Abigail led the group to the bronze board even though she knew that they would crush the quests. It was about building team cohesion. That''s what she cared the most about: could the party, her team, function as a great team, or were they just a group of individuals? She didn''t want it to be the latter; she was convinced they weren''t, but could never be too safe.
Looking at the board, she saw the perfect quest for them:
Mini-Exploration:
There is trouble on the southern coast of Noridori in the Plunas Sea. A deep sea cavern has appeared, and monsters lurk about. It threatens a small aquine village. Party must consist of at least 4 members.
"This," Abigail said, pushing her manna onto the board so she could collect the board notice. As she did, a small bird came and dropped off a piece of parchment paper. Abigail read the contents out loud to her party. "This is perfect because we have to journey south, very south, and explore a cavern. The journey south will likely be a month''s journey or so. Who knows how long it will take to explore the cavern."
"A month," Ob said, sad at the prospect of leaving Helvuna for so long, "how long until we depart?"
"We''ll need at least a week, maybe two." Vincent said, "we''ll need to map out our route, find villages or towns along the way we can lodge in. Prep food, weapons, armor. This is an expedition we should expect a lot to happen.
"It''ll also be good to grab some potions." Maeva added, "Ob, you should spend all that time with Helvuna. Don''t get too excited there, love. She can teach you about cooking. I''ll be damned if I am relying only on those nasty potions for a few months. Congrats, you''re our cook." She said with a small courtesy. While the group was chatting, Abigail had placed the party stone with their aura signature down and accepted the quest. VON''s voice appeared in everyone''s head
Objective: Quest
You have accepted the quest mini-expedition.
Complete the quest for reward.
"That was new, eh?" Maeva said with wide eyes. "Who was that?"
Abigail gestured the group to walk away from the busy hall and head back to the Inn, "that was VON, an ability Ob has."
"Well, you''re just full of surprise, aren''t ya, love?" She said, winking at Ob, "What kind of rewards do you get?"
"Technically, only Ob gets the reward, but he has always shared with us!" Vincent said. "But items, for the most part, rarer items."
"That reminds me, anyone need/use a wand?" Ob asked the group. "I got one last night, but I don''t really use em."
The group shook their head. Not wand users. Got it. "I''ll take that wand off your hands." An ominous voice said from behind the party. The being that appeared caused the whole group to pause in fear. She was 7 feet tall. Had snakes for hair and shark-like teeth. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Navo."
"Yeah, we know who you are," Ob interrupted her, "you''re the gorgon who likes to test new Mavericks. To my understanding, you only appear at the ceremony; I am not at the ceremony."
She gave an evil smile to Ob, "You''re a mouthy one. Because of that, I will take that wand." She started to press her aura down on Ob. This was the strongest aura he had ever faced. Navo was level 94 well into her adamantium. She stood shocked to see only a grimace on the face of Ob. "hmm, it appears you are worthy of the badge of the Maverick. I made a special exception for you because there were rumors of a man getting the badge without formally passing the assessment. I just had to see for myself. Now, before I hurt you and your friends," she pushed her aura attack on the others at the party. The others were not as strong as Ob and felt the pressure immensely. They could not bear the pain.
Ob capitulated and pulled out the wand. He handed it over to the gorgon. She stopped her attack, "Very good." she said, "You do listen after all. Congrats on passing the assessment, Oscar-Blane Jones. I do hope to see you again very soon." With that, a stone gray portal opened behind her, and she stepped through.
"Y''all good," Ob asked his group of friends, who were still doubled over in pain.
"How are you still standing?" Abigail asked, "That felt like she entered into my soul and started stabbing me with a dull knife." Ob looked at her and shrugged. He hadn''t felt it that much. "What did it feel like to you?"
"Like someone was rudely invading my personal space. Kind of like when someone stands a little too close to you all the time. With an added emphasis cause of magic and all," Ob replied. The group just stared, dumbfounded, back at Ob. Ob looked at them looking at him, smiled, and then walked towards the housing district. The group would whisper things to themselves as they walked, talking about how amazing their friend was. He just stood there in the face of a being 80 levels higher than him, and he related it to someone standing next to him too closely.
No one really said a word to Ob on the walk back; he was too busy looking at the city buildings and landscape. He was fascinated by it. He would intentionally stop and peer at them, taking time to observe the beauty. "He''s really cute, yeah?" Maeva whispered to Abigail, "Like yes, he''s attractive, but the things he does are like little brother cute. Look at him; he''s just stopping and staring at plants, flowers, buildings, rivers, bridges, anything that he thinks is cool, he is there to stare at it. I miss that."
"He is indeed. As do I." Abigail conceded, "I have spent so much time trying to be a great leader, to be free from the burdens of my kingdom. I have forgotten what it is like to have a genuine desire to love this world."
"I get you love; I wanted the same thing but got lost. Somewhere along the way, I lost who I was or who I wanted to be. But that man has given me the path back, ya know?" Maeva was now staring at Ob. She figured out what made her want to join the team. It was a child-like wonder of the world around her. Ob was nearly 30 years old but acting like a kid who just got their first powerset. She was sure that was a part because he was just that, but she also was sure that was just who Ob was.
The group returned to the Inn and were greeted by Nom''ed once again. Ob was the first to bump into the skinny demon, "my bad," Ob had said distractedly.
"Watch where you are going, human." the demon said, spitting out the word human.
"Yeah, yeah I said my bad, keep it pushing." Ob responded, not liking the tone of the demon.
Nom''ed stopped in his tracks and pulled a knife towards Ob''s throat. Everyone begins to reach for their weapon. Vincent already had his bow in hand, ready to fire the first arrow. "Easy now, there are a lot of us and only you." Vincent said, "Be smart and put down the weapon and let our friend go." Vincent looked at Ob, and to his shock, Ob was perfectly calm. There was not a trace of fear on his face.
"Are you not concerned for your life, human?" Nom''ed spat in the ear of Ob, putting the knife closer to his throat.
"You keep saying that," Ob responded, hands at his side as if he wasn''t being attacked.
"Sssssssaying what?" Nom''ed said.
"Human," Ob replied, "I''m not human."
"You look human,"
"And you look ugly what''s your point?"
"You have a big mouth for someone with a knife to his throat, I''d be careful with your next words. Apologize for bumping into me."
"My mouth size doesn''t change because of a weapon, that''s just silly. I already apologized. Maybe we should put on our listening ears." the demon was tired of the insults from Ob and tried to push the knife into Ob''s throat. As he attempted to move his muscles, he felt something preventing him from pushing the knife into Ob''s neck. He saw three blades sticking out around his shoulder.
Ob had conjured Hades to protect the knife stabbing; the small knife fit through two blades, not at the point. It had gotten stuck as the blades converged towards the tip. Nem''od attempts to pull the blade free, fear overtaking his aura. He was afraid he would die here. Nem''od was a hot-headed demon; he was always on the edge of a sword. One wrong move would cause him to lose his temper and start a fight. He''s a demon; they are nearly impossible to kill fully. All they do is simply return to their home hell world. It could take some time, but he would return. This time would be a long time before he could return; he just recently died last year. The more deaths, the longer the return wait is.
He stared into Ob''s eyes, and he flinched. He saw the two solar eclipses staring back at him with complete calmness. Ob was not deterred by what was happening. Who was this psychopath? Why was he so calm during a fight? Why was he this calm, close to death? Nem''od let go of the knife and put both hands in the air, "I give up, I give up. Ssssssspare my life.¡±
"Leave Helvuna and her business alone. Stop bothering her. I don''t want to see you again." Ob said, voice cold as ice.
"Done," Nem''od said frantically. Afraid Ob would change his mind, he opened up a portal that was made of flames and stepped into it. He looked back, terrified of the man he had just threatened and escaped from.
Ob looked at his friends and smiled, "Well, that''s one less thing to worry about for Helvuna." Then he walked through the door of the Inn. Everyone but Zephyrus continued on like nothing had happened, "that''s life with Ob," Vincent said, patting the griffin on the back, "come on."Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Each of the groups went and did their own thing until dinner was served. Abigail and Vincent went on a picnic date in the park district. Maeva went and took a nap in her room. She needed some alone time. Ob went to the kitchen to learn about magical cooking.
"The benefit of magical cooking is that you have a lower chance of burning things. It''s pretty similar to standard cooking except you add in a bit of manna while doing things." Helvuna had explained to Ob on the other side of the counter. "We use coal or wood fire for any cooking here. If you want different magical properties you''ll have to add specific ingredients."
"Very cool, Ob said, staring at the large charcoal grill in front of him. It was about 5 feet long, 2 feet deep, and 4 feet tall. There were two large grill grates, one that was a few feet in the air above the flame and one that was a foot above the flame.
"Are you familiar with cooking with coals and wood?" she asked.
"I am. We have a substance called gas, it basically is an endless supply of fire once ignited. Some modern houses will use gas to create their fire."
"But no you?¡±
"No, my family was old school. I lived in the country and came from farmers."
"That is useful, so you know a lot about plants?"
"Mmm kind of. Learning about what herbs or ingredients are needed for certain magical benefits would be great, though. Would you want to come shopping with me to find a couple of those cooking books?"
"Right now?" she said, somewhat blushing at the idea of going in public with the most handsome man she had ever seen.
"No time like the present," he said, extending his hand for her to hold. Ob knew exactly where to go. The shop where he had seen what looked like different books was close to the Inn. They had passed it by on their way back from the federation. Helvuna was impressed; she was getting ready to show him which way, but he was leading her. She wondered how many times he had gone this way for him to know exactly where the bookkeeper''s shop was.
"Ob," she asked.
"Hmm," he responded.
"How many times have you been this way?"
"Once! On our way back from the federation," he responded, opening the door for his partner. A bell went off as they entered the store; there was a noise that sounded like books hitting the floor.
"Oh well bloody hell! One second," an old grumpy man''s voice came from behind the counter.
"All good bro," Ob responded while peering at books. He spotted a few books of interest to him
Herbicraft: Magical Lectionary of Herb
Magical Cooking 101: Vitality + Manna + Stamina Recovery Meal
Magical Cooking 201: Strength + Speed Booster Meals
"Ahh, I see you have already found a selection of books," the elderly man said, walking out. He was blind, with dark brown wrinkled skin; there were patches of white fuzzy hair. "What are you staring out boy?" he said, grumpily. "I can still see, they just look like that cause I''m old,"
Ob hadn''t realized he was staring. He couldn''t help but to, especially when he was being talked to about everything he was holding with precision. It was impressive. "Oh, my bad. I''m Ob, and this is Helvuna. It''s a pleasure to meet you, Bean." Ob paused at the name, "Yeah, I am looking for one more, actually."
"Oh? Nice to meet you, Ob, Helvuna. It''s always a pleasure seeing you." He said with a friendly smile towards the halfling. "What else are you looking for?"
"Anything on integrity recovery meals or recipes?"
"Integrity," the old man said, scratching his chin. "I haven''t had someone come in searching for that in many many moons. I think I have something back here," He went to the back of the shop to find an old and dusty book. "Ahh here we go, Guide to Aura/Soul Cooking, only have one or two of these copies left, it''ll cost ya extra."
"That''s fine, do you have any magical items that would preserve it?"
"I have a book back that might do the trick, would you like all your books in there?"
"Please."
"Very good, that''ll cost ya about 250 gold pieces." Bean frowned, then sighed, "That''s a lot of money; things didn''t used to be so expensive. Sorry to do it to you, young lad."
"All good, Mr. Bean, here," Ob handed the old bookkeeper a bag of 1000 coins for his troubles. He could only imagine what the old man was going through. Before the man could respond, "Thank you, sir, I hope this helps. Take care." Ob walked out of the shop through the door with Helvuna right behind him. She didn''t say a word, just kissed her sweet date on the cheek and interlocked her fingers with his.
Back at the Inn, Ob wanted to try cooking for the team tonight. He had always been a good cook back home, living on his own since he was 18, and being a world-class athlete, he spent his money wisely. Eating out was not an option. He was not a health freak, but he cared about what he consumed. It was all about balance; eating 10 meals great and 2 meals okay out the week wasn''t going to kill him. He had to learn how to cook for himself for those 10 meals.
Item: Explixer
10 xs
20 s
1 m
6 l
Would you like to use? Yes/no?
Yes, 3L, 1m, towards Celestial Chef, 3L, 5s towards Celestial Vigor, and 15s towards Celestine Fusion.
3 L and 1M have been applied to Celestial Chef.
Level up: Celestial Chef
Celestial Chef is now level 18
Celestial Chef is now bronze tier: you now decrease burn rate by 15%
Damn, that was a lot more than I expected, Ob thought.
Explixers have been applied to Celestial Vigor
Level up: Skill - Celestial Vigor
Celestial Vigor is now level 17
Celestial Vigor is now bronze tier: your integrity and manna pool have significantly increased.
Explixers have been applied to Celestine Fusion
Level up: Skill - Celestine Fusion
Celestine Fusion is now level 13
Celestine Fusion is now bronze tier: your strength has increased, and you can now recharge stamina and manna quicker with mediation.
Level up: Power - Celestial
Celestial is now level 17
Level up: Power - Maverick
Maverick is now level 7
Level up: Ob Jones
Ob Jones is now level 14
Attributes Ob Jones:
Vitality: 400
Speed: 175
Strength: 250
Manna: 875
Integrity: 475
You have 84 attribute coins. Would you like to spend? Yes/no?
No. Ob finished consolidating his level-ups and progress and went to look at the stock in the kitchen. He first opened the 4 books he had just purchased.
Would you like to use Books to impart knowledge? This will only upgrade your UI to inform you of what the item you are looking at is. It can be used to pull up recipes using that ingredient, and it can tell you the effect of the meal. This is not learning or memorization that will need to be done with practice and reading.
Yes. As Ob said the command, he saw his UI grow very bright white, and then little blue symbols would appear over all the items in the stock room of the kitchen. He wondered if the UI would help him create similarities between the food here and back on Earth. His question was answered when he picked up a brown, firm fruit; the UI said it was similar to a Roma tomato. After picking up nearly every item in the stock room, which seemed like it took at least a couple hours, Ob got to work.
Using his newly high-level skills, he had a deep intrinsic understanding of what was going on with the food as it was being cooked. His UI was great at showing him little timers and progress of each of the items he was cooking. Ob could see little timers and magical potency bars all throughout the kitchen; the sight was overwhelming at first; he kept bumping into things over and over. He imagined if he had just leveled up the normal way, he would have been used to all the noise on his interface.
After what seemed like another hour of awkwardly walking around the kitchen and bumping into things that he couldn''t see, staring at something else, he finally had a meal done. It was the closest thing he could find to a hearty steak and potatoes meal with a homemade chimichurri sauce to go with the steak and some weird vegetable that had no earthly comparison but was dark and green and tasted sweet, so Ob liked it.
Level Up: Skill - Celestial Chef
Celestial Chef is now level 20
Level Up: Power - Celestial
Celestial is now level 18
You have gained 4 attribute coins.
He covered each of the lids and had one of the staff help him bring them up to his room. All his friends were back from their various adventures and were sitting at the tree table. Talking amongst each other. The party paused as they saw Ob walk in with many plates of food; it was time for them to eat huge on one of their last nights before they departed for their expedition.
"Holy YES, Ob!" Vincent cried, tears forming, smelling the delicious food. "I''m so ready to see if you are a good cook."
The group dove into the food Ob provided. It provided a temporary, consistent boost to healing the body and recovering manna. Ob could feel his manna coming back with every bite; he had spent a lot of time cooking for the group. That is some nice bit of training, Ob thought to himself. After everyone was finished, Ob and Helvuna were sitting on his balcony, looking at the two moons.
Helvuna leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, "I''m going to miss you, dragon man," she said softly. Sadness and happiness filled her tone, "I know you need to go, and I need to stay. I feel like we were just getting things going." she put the finger on Ob''s lips, "Shhhhhhh, let me speak. I am going to miss you. You come back here anytime you want, if we are both available when you return, let''s pick up from tonight," his heart skipped a beat when she said that "You''re the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. It''s a great big world out there, Ob; you''ve got to go and explore the hell out of it! I know you don''t leave for a couple nights, but I definitely needed to tell you all of this right now." Ob took her in a big hug. He didn''t say anything, just looked her in the eyes and kissed her passionately. The two of them spent the rest of the night together in Ob''s bed, enjoying each other''s intimate presence.
Prolouge - END OF BOOK 1
It had been two weeks since Ob had left. They had talked every day, and it was always the highlight of her day. That was until her controlling father took her phone away. Daisy Jones was sitting in her room crying. She never knew why her parents hated Ob so much. He was caring and generous and loved Daisy really well.
Blaire walked into Daisy¡¯s room with a soft knock. ¡°Daisy, honey. Why are you so upset?¡± She said, touching her daughter¡¯s brown hair.
¡°Why do you all hate Ob?¡± She asked, sobbing. ¡°What did he do wrong?¡±
¡°Because Oscar-Blane was never grateful for anything we provided.¡± A deep voice cut in. ¡°Cut this nonsense out. We don¡¯t cry over spilled milk. He¡¯s gone, he has been gone. Let this go.¡±
¡°How can you stand there and say that he is ungrateful?!¡± Daisy cried. ¡°What has he ever done to show you that is the truth-¡° she flinched. Blaise had raised his hand as a threat he would strike his youngest again.
¡°That¡¯s right, you understand the repercussions of running that smart mouth of yours.¡±
¡°Blaise, please. I can-¡° Blaire tried to say before she got slapped.
¡°Quiet!¡± He hissed. Blaire¡¯s eyes started to well with tears. She gathered herself and walked out. Everyone in the Jones household feared Blaise''s anger. He was a brutal tyrant who cared little for his family. ¡°Now,¡± his eyes shifted to Daisy. ¡°Are we done crying over the ungrateful Oscar-Blane?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± she said, looking down.
¡°Yes.. what?¡± He asked through gritted teeth.
¡°Yessir,¡± she said, not moving her eyes up to look at him. He walked over gently and kissed her on the forehead.
¡°Good girl,¡± he whispered. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Blaise left the room. Daisy was tired of it. She had to find Ob! Maybe she could live with him, and the two of them could make it big. Ob was brilliant, and he could teach her all the lessons in school. He was also resourceful, and he could cover her. She just knew it. Daisy spent the next hour crafting the perfect plan to find and live with Ob. Her troubles would go away. It would be challenging, but they are tough. Together, they can survive anything. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
She started packing everything. She paused; she was only fifteen, and she had to think rationally. Okay, only two pairs of shoes, she thought. No, I¡¯ll have to leave with things I can carry for a long way. My phone, some water, some snacks and some spare clothes. Perhaps a jacket and a blanket.
Daisy finished packing up her bag. She put her ear to the door. She could hear some movement going on, and it was just after midnight. Daisy heard the deep laugh of Blaise in the background, and he must still be up watching late-night talk shows, she thought. Any movement I¡¯d make, he¡¯ll hear for sure. Damn.
Daisy sat back on her bed. She turned the lights off and set an alarm for two hours. She put her phone on vibrate and put it under her pillow. She would feel the vibrations that would wake her up. She put her head on her pillow and dozed off.
Daisy woke up in what seemed like two minutes to her pillow buzzing. She wiped the drool off her mouth and straightened her hair. She snuck out of her room ever so quietly. She closed the door slowly. Daisy knew the layout of her house, as if it were the back of her hand. She knew where everything was, so walking in the dark was no issue for her. The problem was she lived on a farm. She had to take extra care not to wake any of the animals.
As she passed by the TV, she saw that Blaise was sound asleep. Blaise was snoring loudly, the snore he had when he drank too much and was knocked out cold from the liquor. Daisy flipped him off and then walked out the sliding glass door. She slipped out the small crack, closed the door, and bolted. Daisy was not unathletic. She was one of the more gifted athletes in her family, and she was going to try out for the volleyball team next fall as she would go to high school as a sophomore.
She made great time hitting the edge of the woods. Daisy looked back at her old home. She was taking time to catch her breath. With a final big inhale, she continued her run through the forest. The only thing that was on her mind was getting to Ob. She was picturing her brother¡¯s huge smile and warm embrace as she came and lived with him. They would be free of the terror that was Blaise. She was too preoccupied with the thoughts to notice she was being followed.
Two creatures were slowly following their victim. They communicated with each other with looks and grunts. Silently, they started to approach Daisy Jones. The young woman was blissfully unaware of the danger surrounding her. As they stalked closer, her mind was filled with fear. She screamed as loud as she could, but no sound came out. She turned and ran in the other direction, slipping as she looked back to what was chasing her. She ran a hundred yards or so and turned to see if she was still being followed. She hadn¡¯t seen the third creature standing in front of her. Daisy slammed into the creature and hit the ground hard; the last thing she could think before being knocked out was, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ob.¡±